Rock Bottom
by RosalindHawkins
Summary: Magic, money, and an ancient spirit make Seto's life incredibly complicated after he's forced into prostitution. A total rewrite of canon events. AU! Also features: Mokuba, Duke, Yami, Yugi, Ryou, Bakura, Joey, Gozaburo Kaiba, Marik, Seth, etc. Violence, language, angst, smut, non-con; mentions child abuse, drugs, alcohol, death. (Angstshipping, Wintershipping) Please review!
1. S0: Prologue

**Season Zero: Millennium what-now?**

* * *

Seto held Mokuba tightly in his arms, his hands clamped over the child's ears as Mokuba squeezed his eyes shut, willing away their present reality. As they huddled together in the corner of their small closet, the doors as closed as he could make them, Seto tried to mentally block out the sound of his father's drunken tirade as he pounded his fists on the door to their bedroom. Their father had never been the same after their mom died, and he was a hardcore alcoholic by now. He couldn't hold down a job for more than a month, but Seto gave him a bit credit for trying. Still, this wasn't a great situation for them to be in. His father drained their money by spending it on booze so that he could get wasted when he got off of work, and it was only the fact that Seto worked and put all his money into supporting them that kept them paying the rent on time. As their father cursed, Seto kissed the top of Mokuba's head and held him even more tightly, closing his own eyes as he waited for the alcohol-induced rage to come to an end.

When it finally did and their father stumbled clumsily away to his own bedroom, Seto gently released Mokuba and pushed the folding closet door open. He lifted his trembling little brother in his arms and carried him to the twin bed they shared, tucking the child in before joining him and putting an arm around his small form.

"Is it really over?" the raven-haired child whispered, eyes wide with fear.

"Yes, Mokuba, it's over," he whispered reassuringly. "Now go to sleep. You know I'll always keep you safe." After maybe fifteen minutes, the smaller child had finally slipped into full sleep. Seto couldn't sleep, however. He was too worried, despite how tired he was. It was difficult to balance work, high school, paying rent, and taking care of his brother. At least he was able to save scraps of his father's paycheck for buying food and other necessities. If his father _had_ been spending the entirety of his paychecks on booze, Seto would need to get a full-time job and probably drop out of high school. As much as he hated the idea of dropping out—he _did_ have plans for his future after all—he'd drop out it if it became necessary to secure Mokuba's wellbeing.

There were other things he could do for money if he really needed to, of course, and if he were a less scrupulous person: he could charge dumb jocks for doing their homework so they could pass their classes and stay on their teams; he could become a thief or a pickpocket; he could sell drugs out of his locker or on the street; he could even—he shuddered to think of it—sell _himself_. If he were desperate and lacked all sense of honor, he could do those things, and he probably _would_ do those things if it became necessary for keeping himself and Mokuba alive. However, he _did_ have a sense of honor and self-respect, and he did intend to teach those things to his little brother. He intended to teach his brother to accept nothing but the best from himself, just like Seto.

Only the most extreme circumstances could force him to abandon his sense of self-respect or tempt him into such unsavory employ. Reminders of that lifestyle surrounded him; they couldn't afford to live anywhere else and resided in the scummiest corner of Domino City, which meant that there were call-girls and crack-heads down every alley and on every corner. It was why he never let Mokuba go anywhere alone, and why he never let him go out at night unless it was absolutely necessary. He always told himself that breaking the law absolute rock bottom, and as long as he didn't sink that low, there was still a chance for him to have a good future.

Perhaps some people would think that he was missing out on things, like the supposed joys of friends, family, and youth. He would scoff at anybody who tried to tell him so.

He didn't need friends to distract him. He preferred keeping his life private; it wasn't anybody else's business that he was the primary caregiver for his small, broken family or that his father was a hopeless alcoholic.

As for youth, there was one game that Seto was fixated with: Duel Monsters. He scrounged together what loose change he could and set it aside for the purpose of buying more cards. He was good at the game, excellent at concocting devastating strategies. His main problem was acquiring the cards he needed to make the strategies work. He used his cleverness to trade up, though; he found people with cards that he wanted who valued his current cards more than he did. Then he would repeat the process indefinitely until he'd traded up the chain pretty far, far enough that he could feel confident he'd been wise to take the time to trade up instead of wasting money by buying the card directly. His goal was to assemble a power deck of rare cards, a deck that was invincible and unstoppable. It didn't discourage him that it would take months, maybe even years, for him to achieve this.

As for family, he enjoyed Mokuba's company enough to make up for all the other family he lacked. To say that he lived for his little brother would be an understatement; in their own ways, they adored each other. Seto knew that if his father ever got reported to child services, he and his brother would be taken away and put into the foster care system, probably getting separated in the process. If he could just keep this up until he was eighteen, they'd be in the clear. Then he could claim guardianship of his brother and they could move out of the apartment they shared with their father to somewhere safer. He'd vowed to always protect Mokuba, and there was nothing in the world that would stop him from doing so. Neither heaven nor hell could keep Seto from his brother, especially if Mokuba was in danger.

* * *

Four months later, Seto was picking his clothes up off the floor, dressing hurriedly as an envelope of cash was tossed onto the floor in front of him. He snatched it up as well, keeping his eyes down as sickening shame flooded his bruised, bony body.

"Hurry up and get out, you mutt," said the tall, broad man who'd tossed him the envelope as he lit himself a new cigar. "Same time and place next week."

Seto bowed his head, biting back the angry outburst that burned within his mind and instead yanked off the dog collar around his neck to toss it on the floor. "Yes, Master Kaiba."


	2. S0: Rain

**Author Notes:** I hope you enjoy this, and in the next chapter Joey will finally make his first appearance!

* * *

As Seto stepped out into the rain and popped the collar of his jacket, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and began to walk towards Ryou's house to pick up Mokuba. As his hair quickly became soaked with the heavy drizzle of rain, he contemplated how he'd come to this state of things.

Three months ago, his own father had gotten fired (yet again) and finally turned to drugs. In order to get more money to buy weed, he'd started gambling the cash he had left, and the financial stress on Seto had nearly doubled. He'd started working as many hours as possible, shorting himself on sleep almost every night of the week. They were truly pinching pennies to make ends meet, and when things were that tight, Seto always made sure that Mokuba was taken care of before anything else. He made sure Mokuba was fed before he himself ate, made sure that Mokuba got his homework done and checked before doing his own.

With all the hours that Seto was working, and with their father in the state that he was in, he couldn't afford to let Mokuba go home from school alone to their apartment, where their dad would be either high, drunk, or both. That was when Seto asked his classmate, Ryou Bakura, about watching Mokuba after school for him. After all, Ryou's sister Amane was in Mokuba's class at the middle school, which made it convenient for him to do so. Of course, Seto paid Ryou for watching his brother. He didn't expect charity, after all, and he would refuse to accept it if it was offered.

Of course, Ryou wasn't the only one in Seto's class with a younger sibling in Mokuba's class, but he'd be damned before he asked that arrogant rich bastard Joey Wheeler to look after his younger brother. He scowled as he thought about his classmate, the one who sauntered around like he owned the place, letting his big mouth run to no end. He and Seto had gotten into more than one fight over the years (in no small part because Joey was a bully and Seto could never stand to let him get away with it), and Seto doubted that their most recent fight would be the last to go down before they graduated. Their rivalry ran deep, rooted in their fundamentally clashing personalities. His sister Serenity was a sweet enough kid, and how she was like that when her brother was such a prick, Seto would never understand.

Seto had chosen Ryou to watch his brother because he respected him. He was a good student, a good brother, and even a good duelist. He was perhaps the closest thing Seto had to a friend. Of course, he would never tell Ryou the state of affairs at home, and he'd sworn Mokuba to secrecy years ago, yet he still felt like Ryou suspected what was really going on. That was the most unnerving thing about his classmate: he could let himself become invisible in a group of people, and then you'd look up and there he'd be, staring right into your soul with those big brown eyes of his.

Seto's sneakers had soaked through with water from the dirty puddles by now, but he was grateful for the chill of the rain. It helped to numb the numerous aches that covered his body. He felt that familiar, gut-wrenching twist of guilt as he remembered how he'd gotten to where he was now. It had been a little over a month after his father had taken up weed and gambling when he'd been approached by a pimp on the streets while walking home. At first, he'd simply been broaching the subject and subtly offering Seto a position. When Seto had turned him down flat, a couple of buff thugs had taken him into an alleyway and started to beat him up. Apparently, a particularly rich client was demanding a tall, blue-eyed, brunette teenage boy, but the pimp was low on supply. Thus, his need for Seto's cooperation.

"You've got a little brother, don't you?" the fiend had said with a sly grin as his lackeys held Seto's arms behind his back, the teen forced onto his knees as blood trickled down his chin. Seto had snarled fiercely at the man, who had chuckled at him mirthlessly. "Wouldn't you just hate it if something bad happened to him?"

His words had made Seto reluctantly submissive. "Lay a finger on him, and I swear I'll murder you," Seto had growled savagely, even as some of the tension left his body and he ceased to fight the arms that restrained him.

"If you just do as I say, your brother will be fine," he'd promised. So far, he'd kept his promise, though Seto had hated that he could be manipulated like that. He'd been forced to break a promise of his own in the process: he'd promised himself he'd never be a prostitute, but he'd also promised himself that he'd do anything he could to protect Mokuba. Of course, Mokuba had to come first, even at the price of his own dignity.

That was what had brought him to Gozaburo Kaiba's office on the top floor of KaibaCorp Headquarters every Thursday night. He was one of the regulars Seto had to put up with. There were other regulars as well as one-timers, and Seto had to work every night, which meant that oftentimes, Mokuba had fallen asleep at Ryou's house before Seto finally came to pick him up. Perhaps the arrangement would have bothered Ryou's parents if they lived more of a normal life, but Ryou's father was an archaeologist often away on business and Ryou's mother was a nurse who worked night shifts at the local children's hospital. She was always home when her children came home from school with Mokuba, but she was always gone by the time Seto came to get his little brother. Seto thought it was a good thing for Mokuba to be around _a_ mother since he lacked a mother of his own.

At least it paid well enough for him to take care of Mokuba and their dad and not get evicted from their apartment. It was also enough money for Seto to buy painkillers in bulk. He needed them in order to fake in front of Mokuba and everybody else that he was perfectly fine, that he wasn't covered in bruises, that his ass wasn't aching permanently since he'd started this new "job." But no matter how well it paid, he planned on leaving it the second he could find something equally capable of supporting them without being illegal or degrading. He hated what he did, but he'd do what he had to do to keep his brother safe. He'd always do whatever it took to protect his little brother.

As he stepped up to the front door of the Bakura household and knocked, he took a deep breath and straightened up, though it was excruciating to do so. Ryou answered the door promptly, looking surprised when he saw that Seto was soaked.

"Oh my, I didn't realize that the rain had gotten so bad," Ryou exclaimed. "Do you want to come inside and dry off a bit while I get your brother?"

"No, thanks," Seto answered politely with a faint smile. He'd just drip water all over the floors.

"Can I at least loan you an umbrella for the walk home?" Ryou offered, looking worried for him. He didn't wait for an answer, knowing that Seto would turn it down automatically. Mokuba scurried up to the door, then, carrying his backpack.

"Didn't I tell you to bring your raincoat with you to school today?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow at the raven-haired child. Mokuba toed the floor sheepishly and Seto sighed. "Don't worry about it, kiddo," he said, taking off his jacket and giving it to his brother, who pulled on the oversized garment. As Seto shouldered his brother's backpack and Mokuba zipped his brother's jacket closed, Ryou came back with the umbrella, handing it to Seto with his left hand while Seto reached to shake his hand with his right, passing him the money in his palm.

"Thanks for watching him so late, and thanks for the umbrella," he said. "I'll give it back to you at school tomorrow," he promised. Ryou's eyes looked a little sad as he accepted the money without looking at it, pocketing the cash. It was their ritual, and while Ryou found it to be a bit of a farce, he wasn't going to argue with Seto's stubborn pride.

"Have a safe walk home," Ryou called as he waved goodbye from the front door. Mokuba, being carried on Seto's hip as he carried the open umbrella for the both of them, waved goodbye to Ryou in return. The white-haired Brit sighed and closed the front door, glad that he'd already gotten Amane to bed. She was observant, like him, and she might have mentioned how exhausted the other teen had looked. Ryou himself hadn't missed the slight, unnatural shift in Seto's gait as he walked away, the pained wince as he had lifted Mokuba's backpack and then Mokuba. He wondered how much longer he should wait before he tried to ask him about it. Confrontation wasn't Ryou's strong suit, though he was excellent at understanding other's problems. He was the perfect confidante, but he wasn't great at staging interventions. He'd never tried before, but he was getting more worried about Seto by the day, and he was willing to set his own discomforts aside for Seto's wellbeing.

Maybe he'd ask Yugi for help. Seto and Yugi knew each other from when Seto used to play Duel Monsters with them during lunch, and from the times that Seto had stepped up to defend the shorter teen from Joey's bullying. Seto always did homework during lunch now, but Ryou could tell that Seto missed the duels. There was a hunger in his eyes that Ryou could only describe as the hunger of ambition, the drive to rise above the present to something higher. Seto was incredibly intelligent, Ryou knew without a doubt, and he was a hard worker. So what held him back if he was so hungry for greatness?


	3. S0: Flinch

**Author Notes:** Let me ask a question: Normally, Joey would be addressing Seto by his last name, given the relationship they have as enemies, so should I bother with giving Seto and Mokuba a last name, or should I just leave it vague? Which would you prefer, or do you not care? Post your answer in a review, and enjoy the chapter!

 **Text in bold denotes quotes from/allusions to the musical _Hamilton._**

* * *

By the time they got home, Seto was still fairly wet from the driving rain, but he was appreciably less soaked than he would have been without the umbrella. It was late enough that their father was still out, but also late enough that Seto put Mokuba to bed as soon as they got home. Then he sat down at the kitchen table to do his calculus homework after swallowing three acetaminophen pills. There were at least two times that he almost fell asleep at the table, but he jerked himself awake and forced himself to complete the assignment. It was well after one in the morning when he did and could finally put his school things away for the night.

As he changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants to sleep in, he hissed at the sting of rough cotton rubbing against the fresh welts on his back. Mr. Kaiba was the only one of his customers to be so… extreme in his preferences; unfortunately, he'd been the one requesting a whore of Seto's coloring, so it was impossible for Seto to be free of him. He flopped onto the mattress on the floor next to his bed.

Mokuba had been sleeping with Seto in his room for years, not out of necessity, but because he was too scared to sleep alone. However, they were both growing to be too big for Seto's twin bed, so last week Seto had finally gotten around to dragging the mattress from Mokuba's bed into his own room and setting it up on the floor for himself. Mokuba had protested to having his older brother on the floor, but Seto had insisted that his limbs were too long for him to feel comfortable in the bed anyways. He shivered a little as he pulled the blankets over himself, the rain pounding against the window more gently now. He closed his eyes and was asleep within seconds. He was tired enough that it took no effort for him to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Seto woke up at 5:30 sharp, not because of an alarm, but because of the internal clock he'd drilled to perfection with the use of sheer willpower. He'd only gotten four hours of sleep, but that was normal for him. He groaned in pain as he sat up, reaching for the medicine bottle under his mattress and dry swallowing three more pills before he stood and showered.

He went about his routine of getting ready for the day as he called to mind everything he had to do: his English paper was due today, so he'd have to stop by the school library before class to print it out; he had a test in economics, but he knew he would ace that easily; he had five clients scheduled for tonight, so he'd let Ryou know that he'd pick up Mokuba a little later than usual tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary in any other classes, and all of the homework due today was completed. He woke up Mokuba and made sure his brother was getting ready for school before he went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Breakfast was the biggest meal of the day for Seto. He was usually too busy at lunch to eat more than a protein bar, and his dinner was whatever he could grab for himself while he was walking en route to the next client. Even so, he always made sure that Mokuba had enough money to buy a decent lunch at the cafeteria, and on weekdays he ate dinner with the Bakuras, which meant that he was eating well enough that Seto didn't have to worry about his health. Seto was plating scrambled eggs and toast for the two of them when Mokuba entered the kitchen, still yawning a bit.

"You missed a spot," Seto said with a faint smile as he smoothed down a rebellious lock of his little brother's hair. Mokuba just grinned and gave his brother a hug before accepting the plate of food. They sat across each other at the small table as they ate breakfast.

"Don't we usually leave for school later than this?"

"Yes, but I need to get to school a little bit earlier today, so we need to leave earlier."

"How was work last night?" Mokuba, like everybody else, believed that Seto worked as a bartender at a seedy joint downtown called "The Underground." That was actually the last job Seto'd had, but he'd been fired for getting into a fistfight with one of the customers. Granted, the man had been drunk, but he'd also been making physical advances on one of the female customers who'd asked him several times to stop, and that was something Seto just wouldn't stand for.

"It was alright, busier than last night, but tonight will be even busier, like always. I should be picking you up around eleven, but they might need me to stay later. If they do, I'll let you Ryou know."

"If you're going to be back so late, then could I just sleep over?" Mokuba asked slyly. Seto frowned a little. Parents tended to get squeamish about boy-girl sleepovers, even if they were just little kids and there was an older teen to keep an eye on them.

"Mokuba, I've already told you why that's not allowed," he said sternly, much to his brother's disappointment. "How is Amane doing?" Mokuba perked up immediately, and Seto was smiling again. Both older brothers had their suspicions about the their younger siblings having feelings for each other, though neither would broach the subject directly. Valentine's Day was next week, however, and Seto was just waiting for Mokuba to ask for money to buy chocolates for her.

"She's doing well. Her dad sent her and Ryou another package from Egypt yesterday."

"What was in it?"

"Some pieces of painted pottery from the dig site, a little glass cat for Amane, and a bottle of paint for Ryou. Apparently it's made with the same kinds of pigments they used in Ancient Egypt, except the paint itself isn't nearly that old." Mokuba chattered on a bit about how he thought it was so cool that Mr. Bakura was an archaeologist who dug up old stuff in Egypt. Seto himself had yet to meet Ryou's father, though he'd met his mother a few times before. "I wonder if he's ever found dinosaur bones in Egypt."

Seto scoffed at that. "I doubt the Egyptians were taking the time to mummify dinosaurs. If the Egyptians ever _did_ run into dinosaurs, I think the dinosaurs would've won that fight, leaving no Egyptians behind to bury them."

* * *

After walking Mokuba to Domino Middle School, then walking himself to Domino High School, Seto had enough time to spend twenty minutes on one of the library computers working on his own secret project: computer coding for a virtual reality program. When it was finished, it would be the thing to pull Seto and Mokuba out of the current existence they scraped together out of spare change and secondhand clothes. It would free Seto from his father and from the pimp and from Gozaburo Kaiba and everybody else who looked down on him. It would launch Seto's career in the field of computer technology. It would move them to a better part of town where they could feel _safe_ for the first time in their life. He'd been working on it for years, but it was far from done. Five minutes before the start of homeroom, he ejected his USB (containing all of his work on the program) from the library's computer and stuffed the printed essay into his backpack, then made his way to his classroom.

He was almost there and the halls were almost empty when he came across an altercation that required his intervention: Joey Wheeler, easily one of his least favorite people in the world, was taunting Yugi Moto, apparently holding something of his in one hand and holding it out of his classmate's reach. Granted, that wasn't very hard to do, given Yugi's small stature, but it was still cruel. Yugi was frantic in his efforts, reaching and pleading for it, but all to no avail. Joey seemed to be enjoying Yugi's distress, and that made Seto's blood boil. He'd managed to stay out of any serious fights since his "career change," afraid that his true state would be betrayed in the aftermath, especially if someone saw fit to try and take him to the school nurse afterward, but he couldn't allow this.

"How many times do I need to tell you to pick on someone your own size, Wheeler?" He glared at the blond as he approached, who turned and grinned smugly.

"You don't _need_ to do anything, you know," Joey pointed out, as if he enjoyed mocking Seto's noble nature. "You could just walk away for once."

"Not a chance," Seto growled as he dropped his backpack by the lockers lining the hallway. "It'll only take a moment to teach you a lesson." Yugi had started backing away from the bully; now that Seto was here, he knew that things were going to get violent, and he'd rather be out of the way than risk being collateral damage. He cringed against the wall, glancing at his watch as he noticed with a sense of panic that there was less than a minute until class started. Joey pocketed his loot before lunging at Seto. They grappled briefly, Seto using Joey's momentum against him to knock him to the floor only to have Joey hook his arm around Seto and bring him down as well. As Seto's back slammed into the floor, a sound of pain tore from his throat, unbidden. For a brief moment, pain resonated through every inch of his being, and he couldn't breathe. The air had been knocked out of him as he fell, eyes closed as he braced himself for impact. Joey stood and laughed, making Seto open his eyes to glare at him as he forced himself off of the floor. His adversary stood over him, victorious (for once), and gloating.

"Looks like I'm not the one getting my ass kicked today," Wheeler taunted, and as Seto tried to stand, he bent over and reached out with the intent of grabbing Seto by the hair and shoving him back to the floor, but something about his gesture had made Seto flinch. Seto had _flinched_. Joey shoved him down by the shoulder, then walked away, leaving his defeated foe to pick himself up off the floor. Joey slipped into his classroom with less than thirty seconds to spare.

Yugi rushed forward, reaching out to help Seto stand, but the taller teen brushed his hand away, perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary.

"One of these days, Yugi, you'll realize that pacifism isn't practical," Seto said bitterly, picking up his backpack as he started walking somewhat stiffly towards his own classroom just down the hall. "You could win your own fights if you just tried."

Yugi wanted to call after him, but they were **out of time**. He ducked into class just as the teacher was about to close the door, face red with shame as he despaired over losing what had been stolen from him. At the back of the room, Joey leaned back in his seat with his hands linked behind his head. He barely paid any attention to class, as usual, but today there was something bothering him. Seto shouldn't have been in so much pain when he went down with Joey. They'd both hit the floor with more or less the same amount of force, and Joey hadn't been in pain like that. The only explanation he could concoct was that Seto was already hurt. And then that flinch…

He had never, since the day he met the cocky brunette, seen him flinch. Not in gym class when the harsh coach yelled in his face, not when faced with bullies stronger and more brutal than Joey, and especially not when he was facing off Joey himself. At least, not until now. Joey didn't know what it meant, but he didn't like it. And he didn't like that it bothered him, but he knew that he was the only one who'd seen it, so if there was anybody to worry about him, it was Joey. Yugi hadn't seen the flinch; he'd been too busy checking his watch as he fretted about getting to class on time. Joey chewed on those thoughts for the rest of the day, wondering if for once, he ought to do something to help that smartypants that so loved to defy him.

* * *

 **LadyKaiba27:** There'll be more uke!Seto coming up in the next chapter or two. ;)

 **Mara-kun:** I've only read one that does that, and it was well-done, though it's still unfinished. I can send you a link if you like! Just PM me and I'll send it to you.

 **BreakfastForLife:** Thank you! I find it equally funky, but I still love it.

 **TheReaperGrimm:** I will be continuing no matter what. :)

 **liron-aria:** I know, right? But don't worry, our poor baby will _rise up,_ DESPITE the circumstances! (Cue "My Shot" from _Hamilton_ )


	4. S0: Push

**Author Notes:** Please review and enjoy! **Text in bold denotes quotes from/allusions to the musical _Hamilton._**

* * *

At lunchtime, Seto was working on his homework for Monday in an empty classroom when he was interrupted by a granola bar being dropped on his calculus book. He glanced up, and Ryou offered him an apple as well, wearing an expression that told him he wasn't allowed to refuse it. He accepted it with a mumbled "thanks" and took a bite of it.

"Yugi told me what happened between you and Joey this morning," Ryou said before sitting precariously on the back of the seat in front of Seto's desk, taking a bite of his own apple.

"What about it?" he asked defensively.

"He said you got hurt," Ryou answered calmly. "If you got hurt, you should see the nurse."

"I'm fine," he answered, and Ryou grunted in response.

"Would you tell me if you weren't?" he challenged, raising one eyebrow as he dared Seto to say yes.

"No."

" **At least you're honest about it.** " Ryou didn't seem angry or upset by this. "But you know that it's safe to change your mind, right?"

Seto took another bite of his apple to avoid answering, and Ryou rolled his eyes.

"I've been asking Mokuba about home life lately." Seto looked up from his homework, trying not to let alarm register in his expression. "He says that you told him he wasn't allowed to talk about it."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because you lied to me."

"About what?"

"Your mom. You told me she was sick. Mokuba told me the truth."

Seto grunted noncommittally as he went back to doing his homework.

"I get that you don't want to talk about it. That's okay. But don't lie to me again, alright?"

"Why does it matter if I do?" Actually, Seto hated lying, but there were some lies that had become a necessity in his life: lies about his job to keep people from getting involved, lies about his mom to keep people from pitying him, daily white lies about being "fine" so that maybe one day it'd actually be true.

"Because friends don't lie to friends."

"We're friends?" Seto feigned indifference, but deep down, he liked the idea of having Ryou as a friend.

" **I think I'm the best friend you've got** , if I do say so myself." After a few moments of silence, Seto glanced up.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Ryou became confused.

"That's your mind-reading look." Seto scowled faintly. "I don't like people reading my mind." This surprised Ryou into a light laugh as he realized that Seto had just kind of made a joke.

"Nobody can read _your_ mind, Seto, but I'm flattered that you think I can."

* * *

"Did you get a chance to talk to him?" Yugi asked as he panted alongside Ryou during gym class last period.

"Yeah, he said he's fine, but… I don't believe him," Ryou answered. He wasn't that athletically inclined, and neither was Yugi, so they ran at about the same, comfortable pace as they completed their assigned laps. Seto was faster than both of them, and he never half-assed anything, so he was farther ahead, competing with Joey for the lead.

"I think he's mad at me," Yugi admitted, feeling ashamed. "He told me I should… learn to fight my own fights… I wish I had some way to make it up to him, to thank him for all he's done to help me."

Ryou felt sympathy for Yugi; being the target of bullies was one of the several things Ryou and Yugi had in common, and Ryou tended to handle it the same way that Yugi did: keep your head down and your mouth shut until they left you alone. Seto wasn't the only one who criticized this method, though; Anzu would often tell them to grow a spine so that they could stop being taken advantage of. Although, she did tend to be more concerned with Yugi—and rightfully so, for by now, Yugi attracted more bullies than Ryou. Besides, Ryou was better at assuaging his bullies with words and peace offerings than Yugi, thus talking himself out of many potentially-nasty situations.

"Bakura! What did I tell you about that hair?!" Ryou let out a low groan, ducking his head as his face began to turn red. Coach Trudge was the one bully Ryou had never been able to ameliorate with mere words. "Get over here!" Yugi wished his friend luck as Ryou sighed and went over to where the coach stood with his clipboard and his whistle. Yugi winced as he passed them, trying to tune out Coach Trudge's harsh criticism. He was only a quarter of a mile further down the track when he heard Seto shout.

"Coach!"

"What is it now?" Trudge shouted, looking even angrier at being interrupted.

"You have no right to do that."

Yugi stumbled and came to a halt as he stared in awe. Seto was challenging the coach himself, and all the other students, even Joey who was only a few feet away from them, stopped to stare in equal shock.

"What?!" Coach Trudge was livid.

"The state of Ryou's hair does not fall under your jurisdiction as the gym coach. So long as his hair is within school regulations, _which it is_ , you have no right to tell him to cut it." Seto stood tall, the set of his chin defiant as he crossed his arms over his chest. A few of the other students, mostly from the far side of the track, started to cheer for Seto, which made him smirk. That was the last straw for Coach Trudge.

"Shut up, all of you!" he shouted at the rest of his class. "Five more laps!" Then he turned to face Seto. "And you, smart-ass? Drop and give me eighty!" Seto scowled, but obeyed, having done his job, for Ryou had been quick to return to running laps, throwing Seto a grateful glance as he passed him. Joey was the only student who was still standing instead of running.

"He's right, you know." Joey remarked casually, running a hand through his blond hair which had been dampened down by sweat. "It's really not your business what his hair looks like."

"You, join him!" He pointed from Joey to Seto, who was faithfully doing push-ups on the grass. "No special treatment for you just because your parents are donors. Nothing could get you special treatment in _my_ class." Joey sneered but joined Seto on the grass, beginning his own set of push-ups. After a few moments, Seto was smirking again.

"I would beg to differ, sir," he called out. "I would say that you give Ryou _special treatment_ in the way you harass him about his hair."

"That's twenty more, from both of you!" Coach Trudge shouted, trying to intimidate them with threats and added punishment. Little did he know that it wouldn't work.

"I have to agree: you're also showing _us_ special treatment with this punishment," Joey added. Both he and Seto were shouting their protests for the benefit of the class, and the coach was growing to be not only angry, but vengeful.

"Twenty more! I can do this all day, you two!"

"Do you think he could do as many push-ups as he's assigning to us?" Seto asked Joey as he stared at the grass beneath him, a smirk tugging at his lips despite the circumstances.

"Twenty more each!"

"I seriously doubt it," Joey shouted back, and some of the students snickered.

"Twenty more!"

"I'd have to agree. After all, they say those who can't, teach."

"That's it, forty more each!"

Ryou and Yugi, who had resumed their laps side by side, looked at each other in amazement. The two rebels kept up the back and forth, pushing coach's buttons relentlessly, while the rest of the class finished their five extra laps. The two rivals were actually collapsing with laughter at their own jokes at one point, and Seto couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so hard. They didn't look at each other the whole time they kept it up, but it looked for all the world as if they were actually enjoying each others' contributions to the coach's misery.

By the time everybody else was done, they'd piled up five-hundred-eighty push-ups, and were _still_ going at it. Ryou paused by the two of them at the end of class to thank Seto for sticking up for him. He couldn't say anything more before Coach Trudge yelled at him. Ryou walked away then, but it was with a smile as he gently tugged his white hair out of its ponytail.

Twenty minutes after school was let out, an administrative member from the school came out and thoroughly reprimanded the coach for keeping students after school and employing corporal punishment for insults dealt him. Seto and Joey were let go, and while Joey high-tailed it out of there, Seto limped to the boys' locker room to shower. He normally would have just gone home to do so, but since nobody else was around, he felt confident that nobody would see his marked body. He was safe. For just a few minutes, he was safe.

* * *

Joey cursed himself for taking off without his gym bag. He didn't need to give Seto any more of a reason to believe him to be an idiot. He'd only driven two blocks away from school when he'd remembered and turned around, doing a shoddy job of parking his car in the parking lot before hopping out and running back to the locker room to grab his bag. Seto was in one of the showers when he entered, but Joey was in too much of a rush to care. He was already late picking up Serenity, and his parents hated it when he wasn't on time to get her. He shouldered his gym bag, his arms already getting sore, and turned to leave when something caught his eye against his will. Through a small crack between the shower curtain and the tiled wall of the shower, he could see vivid bruising on Seto's torso. It took a fraction of a second for it to register in Joey's mind what he was seeing before he dashed out of there as quickly as he could. The image stuck with him for the rest of the day and well into the night.

Seto, whose eyes had been closed and his ears filled with the sound of running water, didn't even know that Joey had come back to the locker room. But he did find a small gold puzzle piece on the floor that had, unbeknownst to him, fallen out of Joey's bag when he'd scampered out of the locker room only minutes ago. He'd put it in his pocket before leaving for home, deciding that he'd find whose it was on Monday. Thanks to his little stunt, his arms were incredibly sore and his body was aching all over again. Perhaps standing up to the coach had been stupid of him, but he couldn't stand going one more day without standing up to the gym coach about his constant harassing of Ryou. Seto **couldn't stand injustice** ; that was why he was always getting himself involved in fights that weren't his and standing up to bullies. He used his anger at the world to fuel his fire when he fought, which was why he always came out on top. Except for that morning.

He checked his watch with a sigh. He had just enough time to change out of his school uniform, drop off his backpack, and maybe sit down for a few minutes to rest, before he needed to leave to meet his first client. He'd gotten two calls on his cell that day from other clients wanting to hire him for some period of time that night, so his night was going to be even longer than he'd anticipated that morning. He wasn't sure how he was going to survive the night. For once, he didn't think that sheer force of will was going to be enough.


	5. S0: Weekend

**Author Notes:** Even though Seto's the protagonist of this story, this chapter doesn't have much of him. Sorry. :( Now, is everybody ready for the first appearance of the Millennium Items? ;) _Ohmehgerd, plot is happening!_

* * *

"My little cupcake, you're already exhausted, and we've barely gotten started," the cougar crooned as she pet Seto, making the brunette suppress a shudder. The occasional lonely cougars were actually the least repulsive category of customers for him, but they were still fairly repulsive just the same. "You'll need something to keep you going." She pressed the edge of her wineglass to his lips, and though his first instinct was to resist, he had neither the energy nor the ability to resist.

This wasn't the first time a customer had forced alcohol on him, but each time he hated himself for not trying to fight it. Granted, he wasn't _allowed_ to resist them, and he was able to fake drinking more than he actually did, but it repulsed him that his father's favorite addiction was so unavoidable in his life. His greatest concern was that, one day, whatever they forced him to drink would also be laced with drugs and that he'd just disappear, leaving Mokuba behind without a trace of where his older brother had gone. He couldn't afford to lose himself, but he also couldn't afford to lose a client, so as the older woman kissed him hungrily, he returned it, squashing down the voice of his soul that hated every bit of it.

* * *

Seto had just enough energy at half past eleven to scoop the spare change from his pocket and use it at a payphone to call Ryou and ask if Mokuba could stay the night. He'd said that it was an unusually busy night at the club and they wouldn't be letting him off until well after midnight. After being assured that it was no problem at all and establishing that he'd be by around noon tomorrow to pick up Mokuba, he hung up and sagged against the clear plastic wall of the adjacent bus stop.

He had to keep going, still a couple of blocks to his next client. He couldn't rest yet, he told himself as he slowly sat on the bench. He needed to stay awake, he thought as his eyes closed for what felt like only a moment. His eyes snapped open and he checked his watch: a half hour had passed in the instant he'd closed his eyes.

"Shit," Seto muttered as he jumped to his feet and swayed for a moment, then shook his head to clear his vision. "Shit, shit, _shit_." He broke into a light jog as he hurried to the next client. This was precisely the one person who was most intolerant of tardiness: a fierce, leather-clad dominatrix who genuinely terrified Seto. There was no way he would get out of this without new injuries, and that was the last thing he needed right now. And then he had to see that banker; he was always rough too... How much longer could he hide the abuse he allowed his body to endure? How much longer could he get away with it?

* * *

"Dad, what does it mean when you see someone flinch?" Joey asked his doctor father Saturday morning. It was rare for Dr. Wheeler to be home at a time when his son was awake and home as well. Being one of the best cardiac surgeons in the country meant that he could be called out for an emergency surgery at any time.

"Flinching is a reflex induced by the sensation or anticipation of pain," his father said automatically without looking up from his newspaper, speaking like some kind of clinical textbook. "People who have been physically abused, either domestically or as children, tend to flinch at sudden movements, especially movements near their head or face." He turned the page to the continuation of the article he was currently reading, displaying no curiosity as to why his son should be asking such a question.

"Cool, thanks," Joey mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the kitchen and went down to the basement. He was used to his parents being distant and detached; he preferred it that way, because it meant that they left him alone, except for the times he got in trouble or they just got mad at him. They could frown and scold and discipline him as much as they wanted, but he'd never listen. They only things that had ever motivated Joey to action were his own capricious interests and impulses. As he plugged his electric guitar into his amp and turned the volume up, he grinned to himself and started to play. It annoyed the crap out of his parents, but he liked the way the rock music could drown out everything, even his own thoughts.

* * *

Seto slept until almost eleven Saturday morning, waking up and feeling almost rested for the first time all week. Usually he wouldn't let himself sleep quite that late, but after last night, he'd really needed it. The first thing he did was to swallow a dose of painkillers, then lay in bed for just a little while longer, waiting for them to kick in. When he stood at last, he found that he wasn't in quite as bad a shape as he'd thought he'd be in. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been this bad, which meant that he'd been worse off than this before. And if he'd been worse off previous times, that meant that he could survive this, and he took comfort in that fact.

He showered quickly, then grabbed an apple from the kitchen on his way out. He had to pick up Mokuba before he could get started on his homework. Since Mokuba had spent the night at Ryou's house, he didn't feel comfortable asking Ryou to watch him again that night. He could call Anzu, ask her to watch Mokuba for the evening, but if she wasn't available, he wasn't sure what he would do with him. He never felt safe leaving Mokuba home alone with their father, not because their father had hurt Mokuba before, but because he was afraid that he would. After all, he always got angry when he was drunk, and when he got angry, he always got violent. Seto had always taken measures to prevent his father's alcohol-induced violence from doing any physical harm to Mokuba, but there was no telling what kind of mental or emotional damage could happen in Seto's absence. If Anzu couldn't watch Mokuba, then Seto would just have to cancel on all of his clients for the day. Mokuba always came first, and he had enough to pay his "employer" his full quota for the week. The money he would have earned tonight would have gone into his own wallet for their household expenses. Maybe...

As Seto approached Ryou's house, he decided that it would be best to spend more time with Mokuba that day. He couldn't blow off the regular customers without serious repercussions, so he'd still have to call Anzu about watching Mokuba for a few hours, but it would be significantly less time spent away from him than otherwise, and that was what mattered most.

* * *

Sunday night, after Amane had been put to bed and his mother had left for work, Ryou was Skyping with his father, practicing his Arabic with the seasoned archaeologist.

"You've gotten better," his father praised, beaming at his son's achievement before his face grew serious. "It's a good thing, too, because soon we might have a house-guest who _only_ speaks Arabic."

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked, looking confused as he settled his laptop more comfortably on his lap.

"Remember that new potential dig site I told you about last week?"

"Yeah, you said that it looked like it might have been raided by tomb-robbers, but that it still looked promising."

"I was wrong. It wasn't raided. It's been _lived in_ for the past three thousand years."

"What?!" Ryou almost knocked over his laptop as he sat up in alarm. "But nobody's living there any more, right?"

"Well, not now that we've gotten them out." His father sighed, looking drained as he recalled the whole ordeal. "They speak some modern Egyptian Arabic, enough to communicate with us as necessary, but they mostly speak ancient Hieratic Egyptian. They read the ancient scrolls effortlessly, and it's absolutely incredible! They'll be able to give us incredible insight into the earliest periods of ancient Egyptian history."

"But… But why were people living in a tomb? And who are they?" Ryou spluttered. The idea of living underground in the darkness, hidden away from the sky and the fresh air and everything else, made Ryou's chest constrict with fear.

"We found a family: a father with his three children. The youngest is named Marik and he's about your age. There were clear signs that their father had been abusing him, so we called in the local authorities to apprehend him and lock him up until we could get all of the facts. To be honest, though, things aren't looking good for him and I don't feel that bad about it. His daughter Ishizu seems to be the leader of the three, even though her other brother Rishid is older than her. She explained to me that her family has been guarding the secrets of the pharaoh's tomb ever since the pharaoh's interment."

"Which pharaoh?"

"She won't say. We're still trying to make them feel more comfortable with us so that we can help them reconstruct their lives and introduce them to modern technology. Apparently, they were forbidden from leaving the tomb _ever_. What they ate or how they survived like that is beyond me. Rishid is about twenty-five and Ishizu is about twenty, so they're old enough that they're handling things fairly well, but Marik's a bit of a mess. He's sick, but we can't get him the help he needs here in Egypt. I'm trying to convince Ishizu that we ought to send him back to Japan so that he can get the help he needs, but it doesn't look like that'll be happening anytime soon. If he does end up going to Japan, I'd want him staying with us, and it'll be helpful for him if he can communicate with someone his age." Ryou was still rather stunned at everything he'd heard.

"Yeah, sure, I'll keep practicing. I feel bad for him." Ryou frowned. "He must have hated living underground. I know I would."

"Yes, it's rather unfortunate. Well, enough about my week, how have you been?" Ryou's father asked with a smile as he forced the Ishtar family out of his mind for now. "How's Amane and your mom? How's Mokuba doing?" Ryou had long ago told his father about the arrangement he had with Seto concerning Mokuba, and more recently he'd vocalized his concerns for Seto himself.

"They're doing well." Ryou grinned broadly, unable to help himself. "It's really cute watching Mokuba and Amane together. I actually caught them holding hands when we were walking home after school on Friday."

"Tell me, Ryou, how is it that your eleven-year-old sister has a more successful love-life than you do?" his father teased, making the teen blush. It always flustered him when his father made comments like that.

"I've _told_ you, Dad, all the girls at Domino High are just so… so… shallow!" Ryou sighed dramatically. "I mean, Anzu's not as bad as the others, but she's hung up on Yugi, even though neither of them will admit it. When I find a nice girl who actually _uses_ her brain to think about more than fashion and gossip, _then_ I'll date." His father just chuckled at that.

"I'm afraid I've given you high standards for women by marrying your mom," he said with a smile that Ryou reciprocated.

"Yeah, Mom's pretty great. When I find a girl as great as Mom, _then_ I'll date."

"Anything else exciting happen this week?" That was when Ryou remembered gym class on Friday and he explained to his father what-all had happened with Seto and Joey and the coach.

"No coach should be treating his students like that," Mr. Bakura said with a frown. "That method of punishment isn't appropriate in _any_ high school."

"I agree, but Dad, you should have _seen_ Seto and Joey going at it!" Ryou enthused, still amazed at their audacity. "It was incredible the way they kept goading him, and it was weird that they were working together, because usually they can't stand to be around each other!"

"A common enemy tends to unite people," Mr. Bakura explained. "Why did Seto stand up to the coach?"

"Because he was picking on me and he hates bullies," Ryou answered, looking thoughtful.

"And why do you think Joey stood up to the coach?"

"Because… he enjoys undermining authority figures at every given opportunity," Ryou answered after a few moments, thinking hard about what he'd seen of Joey's behavior towards other teachers.

"Well, there you go: a common enemy that they both enjoyed humiliating for their own reasons. How's your diorama coming along?"

"It's almost done, I just have to finish the castle, and then it'll be complete enough to use! I'm trying to have it done by the time you come home so we can play the first game with it." There was a moment of happy silence between the two of them that was interrupted by Ryou's yawn.

"Time for you to go to bed, kiddo. Don't want to be late for school tomorrow!"

"Okay, bye Dad!"

"Goodnight, Ryou! I love you!"

"Love you too, Dad."

As Ryou put his laptop away, he realized that he'd forgotten to ask his dad for advice about how he should talk to Seto. He'd hoped that his father might have a better insight into what might be going on in the troubled teen's life. Hopefully, it could wait until next week. He turned out the lights and climbed into bed, removing the necklace his father had sent him from Egypt about a month ago. His father had called it the Millennium Ring, although Ryou didn't know why it was called that. It wasn't the kind of ring one would wear on their finger and it was certainly older than one millennium. He couldn't explain why, but he never liked to be separated from it. For whatever reason, he was greatly attracted to the gold artifact, so he always wore it under his uniform at school, removing it only when he was in gym class and when he slept. He laid it on his nightstand before closing his eyes to sleep.

* * *

Seto put a plate of food in front of his father. Sunday was his day off, so he'd made dinner himself, and since his father was actually home for once in the evening, he figured there was no reason not to give him food as well. He went back to his seat at the table, blocking Mokuba's view of their father in case he used the plate of food as an ashtray again.


	6. S0: Puzzle

**Author Notes:** In case you're curious about the way I've rewritten canon events in this AU, here are a few little pieces of info that might not come up explicitly in the story: there is no Yami Marik, Adina is Noah's little sister, and Rex and Weevil are just as immature as their canon selves. More reviews = more chapters, so please review!

* * *

Seto woke up late Monday morning, not late enough that they were late to school, but late enough that Seto had no time to do any programming before class. He ended up rushing breakfast so that he could leave with Mokuba and drop him off while not being late for his own classes. He bumped into Ryou dropping off his younger sister as well, so they ended up walking to school together. They bumped into Yugi just outside the double doors of the school building, who greeted them both with almost excessive cheerfulness. When the pleasantries were over, Seto cut right to the chase.

"Yugi, what did Joey take from you on Friday?" The shorter teen wilted a little at the memory of it.

"He took one of my puzzle pieces," Yugi said with a sigh.

"What kind of puzzle was it?" Seto pressed, and Yugi glanced up at him as if he were hesitant to answer.

"It's a gold puzzle that was discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb several years ago. The last owner of it passed it on to my grandpa, and my grandpa passed it on to me to see if I could solve it. I feel like I'm getting close, but I'll never be able to finish it without the last piece." His shoulders slumped again.

"Is this it?" Seto reached into his pocket and pulled out the glittering puzzle piece before tossing it at Yugi, who caught it with both hands and examined it, delight illuminating his face.

"Yes it is! Thank you Seto!" Yugi impulsively lunged at Seto and wrapped his arms around the taller teen's waist in a tight hug. Seto was caught entirely off-guard by the physical display of gratitude. The only person who ever touched him with his permission was Mokuba, and occasionally Ryou, but those were only small moments of contact that he initiated and ended quickly. This, this was something new to him entirely, and Ryou could tell from Seto's expression that he was not only surprised and uncomfortable, but he was also hiding physical pain. "Where did you find it?" Yugi asked as he pulled away, and Seto relaxed a little, straightening his uniform.

"In the locker room after gym," he explained.

"Oh yeah, how did that go?" Ryou asked. "Did he actually make you guys do all of those push-ups?" His expression was one of pity, and Seto quickly shook his head to dispel it.

"I figure he would have, but someone from the school board or something came out and stopped him."

"Well that's good," Ryou commented, and looked like he was about to say more when Yugi interrupted him.

"Seto, Ryou and I want to help you with your deck," he said, looking determined.

"What?" The tall brunette didn't understand what he meant at first, and looked vaguely confused.

"I know you have it all figured out already, but we want to help you get the cards you need," Yugi explained.

"Consider it thanks for all the times you've stood up for us," Ryou said with a warm smile.

"You don't have to do that, you know," Seto said, not sure if he was comfortable with this.

"Even if we didn't feel obligated to pay you back for all your help, we'd still want to help you with your deck," Yugi answered, a glitter of idealism in his violet eyes. "That's what friends are for."

Seto wasn't sure how to react to this kindness. He was hesitant to accept it, as he was always hesitant to accept anything free. There was always a catch, always a regret lying in wait. But this time… he couldn't find a reason to say no. It felt strange when he smiled back at them, strange to think of them as his friends. Was this really happening? Seto wasn't sure. He wasn't used to his life holding so much positivity in one day. He wasn't used to being happy. It was all strange, but strange in a good way, and the day only got stranger.

He didn't have class with either of them first period, but second period he shared class with both Ryou and Joey, who, much to his surprise, ended up flanking his desk in class. It made sense that Ryou would choose to sit next to him, but why Joey?

* * *

All day, Joey managed to not actually act like a total jerk. Since he was being fairly amiable, Seto responded in kind, though he wasn't foolish enough to think that Joey was suddenly a good person or worthy of his trust. At lunch, Seto let Yugi and Ryou join him in an empty classroom while he was doing his calculus homework.

"So, what cards do you still need for your deck?" Yugi asked while Ryou pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. Seto had his deck memorized, of course, and he knew exactly which cards he had yet to acquire.

"Negate Attack, Soul Release, Different Dimension Dragon, Chaos Emperor Dragon, Card of Sanctity, Lord of Dragons, Mirror Force…" Seto paused to let Ryou catch up. "Luster Dragon #2, Dimension Fusion, Clone Dragon, Card of Demise, Cave Dragon, and…" He hesitated. The most important and powerful cards for his strategy were also the most difficult to acquire out of them all. It was ambitious of him to have made such incredibly rare cards so integral to his deck, but he couldn't help that something in his soul had latched onto the card the first moment he saw it.

"Yeah, and what?" Yugi asked, looking curious.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Ryou's eyes grew wide as Yugi gasped. "But there are only four of those in the whole world! Nobody even knows who owns them!" the Brit exclaimed as Yugi's eyes sparkled with a secret. "Do you really need it for your strategy?"

Seto nodded. "The Blue-Eyes will find its way into my deck one way or another," he said without looking up from the calculus problems. "You don't have to worry about helping me get that one."

"Okay, I think my grandpa has most of these cards at the Game Shop. He didn't have all of them the last time you were there. Speaking of which, it's been a while since you came by."

Seto stiffened a little as he shrugged and answered, "I work a lot of hours. I haven't had the time."

"Well, you should _make_ the time and come visit us with Ryou so we can have some proper duels," Yugi said cheerfully, Ryou glancing between Seto and Yugi for a moment. Yugi wasn't aware that Seto's life was more troubled than he let on, and even though Ryou didn't know the details of Seto's life either, he felt that Yugi's choice of words could have been better.

Joey popped his head into the classroom then. "Hey, whatchya doin'?"

* * *

All four of them were dreading gym class that day, but it turned out that they had a sub, who explained that Coach Trudge was in the hospital and that the sub would be teaching the gym until he recovered, though he didn't say from what. Ryou seemed troubled to hear this, but Seto didn't miss the harsh man one bit.

* * *

"Mokuba, what have I told you about fighting?" Seto took a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer and handed it to his little brother.

"You say to only fight in someone else's defense, and that's exactly what I did," Mokuba said stubbornly as he pressed the frozen peas to his black eye. "One of the other boys was pulling Amane's hair and he wouldn't stop even when she told him to." Seto sighed.

"I've taught you too well," he grumbled as he sat down at the table and pulled out his homework. Mokuba trotted over and sat down across from him.

"So you're not mad at me?" Mokuba asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't like that you got hurt, but you only did what I've told you to do, so I can't very well be mad at you for that, can I?" He glanced up at Mokuba and smiled sadly.

"You can stay up only a little longer, then you need to get to bed, okay?"

Mokuba nodded.

"Did Amane like the chocolates you gave her for Valentines?"

"Yeah..." Mokuba blushed and smiled somewhat stupidly, like the little boy in love that he was.


	7. S0: Found

**Author Notes:** _**More reviews = more chapters,** _ so if you like this and want to see more, keep reviewing!

* * *

Joey spent the rest of the week asking the right questions, pulling some strings in his social network, and making phone calls that his parents would be apoplectic to hear him making. He even left school at lunch on Tuesday to talk to Seto's little brother about him. Mokuba had been guileless enough to answer honestly, even telling Joey how there were some Saturdays when Seto could hardly stand. By Friday, Joey'd found what he was looking for. He made one last call during lunch, made a sizable withdrawal from an ATM right after school, then went to the motel room to wait, pulling out his laptop as he sat on his bed and waited for the right time.

* * *

Seto's second customer that Friday had been one of the impromptu ones, the ones who called for same-day service that he had to squeeze in among the regulars and those who'd made appointments ahead of time. But this client had booked two full hours, and Seto was more than a little nervous. It was a man. Those sessions were always the most painful. They were meeting at a cheap motel, which was just as normal for Seto as an upscale hotel.

Seto went to the front desk and got the key-card, then went to the room, suppressing the protests his soul made each and every time. They were getting quieter the longer he did this, which worried him. He straightened up as he stood in front of the door, then opened it and went in. What he saw made him freeze, then slam the door behind himself before he started shouting.

"What the _hell_ Wheeler? What the actual **_hell_** _?!_ " Joey put his hands up in defense as Seto charged forward, looking furious. As Seto made to take a swipe at him, Joey deflected the blow and knocked Seto onto the bed behind him, the impact from that alone making him wince. Joey began to speak before Seto could yell at him again.

"I could tell somethin' was wrong, okay?" he said somewhat quietly, a tone in his voice that Seto had never heard before. "I was able to figure it out 'cause I'm not actually as dumb as you think I am." He crossed his arms. "You've been exhausted and chugging way too many pain-killers for someone our age. Too many for anybody, for that matter. It's not safe, and Ryou told me that Mokuba's gettin' worried about you."

"So this is some kind of intervention?" Seto demanded as he sat up. Joey couldn't tell if his face was red from shame or anger. Probably both.

"No, this is me giving you a break." He tossed the envelope of cash on the bed, and continued, "Do whatever you want for the next two hours." He moved towards the door, intending to leave, when Seto's voice stopped him.

"Why? Why would you do this?"

The voice held such brokenness and pain that Joey didn't trust himself to turn around and look at Seto's face.

"Because no kid should have to worry about his older brother like that," he answered quietly. "It hurts Mokuba to see you hurt, and he's starting to catch on that the amount of pain you're always in isn't normal. He needs to see you improve, and the only way for you to improve is to rest." With that, Joey left the room and the motel, walking down the street with his hands in his pockets as he went to find some place to eat and kill time.

Seto, apprehensive about this gift of time, took Joey's advice in the end, deciding to take a nap. He took off his shirt and jeans and climbed into bed only after locking the door as securely as possible. In the unfamiliar darkness of the motel room, he could still fall asleep within seconds, telling himself to wake up in exactly two hours.

Two hours later, Joey had come back to the room to find that Seto still asleep. He sat in the chair in the corner, wondering if he ought to wake him up. He decided he'd give him a few minutes, since he most definitely needed the rest. Seto woke up on his own, actually, and when he sat up in bed with his back to his friend, Joey's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit." The words fell from his mouth before he could stop himself, and Seto whirled around, looking furious. Now Joey could see his bruises too, and he kept his mouth shut this time, though his eyes were wide with shock. He'd never seen so many bruises on one body before. They must have been what he'd glimpsed last Friday. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. Seto's fierce glare silencing any words he might have spoken. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Seto turned around, quickly dressed, and left without a word.

Joey felt like he'd glimpsed a whole new world he'd only ever heard about.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, that arrangement with Joey continued: two hours every Friday, same place, same time, same payment. Sometimes Seto napped, sometimes the two boys would eat and talk, and once Joey had sheepishly asked Seto for a bit of tutoring, just enough for him to be able to pass the class. He didn't want to be stuck in high school forever, after all. They began to become friends, which was a surprise to both of them.

Joey's and Yugi's friendliness in school also persisted, making themselves a new established presence in Seto's life. Yugi and Ryou helped him complete his deck while also teaching Joey how to play the game, helping him to build a deck of his own. Of course, Joey had been dumb enough to challenge Seto for his first proper duel. Seto annihilated him and cautioned him to choose his opponents more carefully in the future. Anzu hung around them as well from time to time. From what Seto could see, Anzu had a crush on Yugi, but Yugi was entirely oblivious to it. It was amusing to see her vain attempts at getting his attention on something other than card-games.

About a month after Joey made his dramatic transformation from complete bully to a not-so-bad-after-all loud-mouth, Yugi finally solved the Millennium Puzzle, bringing it to school to show them what it looked like when the puzzle was solved. Although he was good at the subject, Seto had never taken much of a genuine interest in history. No matter what the teachers said, he never thought of people from the past as being very relevant to him, especially the ancient past.

Later that same day, he saw Ryou in the bathroom, leaning over the sink with his shoulders hunched over.

"Are you alright?"

Ryou quickly straightened up, putting on a fake smile as he said with false cheer, "Oh, yes, I'm quite alright!"

Seto frowned. "I thought you said that friends don't lie to friends."

Ryou looked startled, then grinned sheepishly. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." Seto locked the bathroom door for privacy (something he wasn't technically allowed to do, but this was one occasion where he thought it was justified to screw the rules) and walked closer, noting how his approach made Ryou start to look a little nervous. "What's wrong?"

"My chest has been hurting since this morning," Ryou admitted, beginning to look flustered.

"What kind of pain?" Seto asked. Pain was something he was well acquainted with, which enabled him to help Ryou.

"Sharp," was all Ryou could think of as a way to describe it.

"Internal or external?"

"External."

Seto started to unbutton Ryou's uniform jacket.

"Is this necessary?" Ryou was a private person like Seto, not because he had something to hide, like Seto did, but simply because he was shy.

"Yes." The jacket open, Seto could see the shape of something underneath Ryou's shirt, as well as five little spots of blood arranged strangely on the white cotton. "What is this?" he asked touching the object slightly, which made Ryou wince. He started to unbutton Ryou's shirt, making his British friend blush.

"It's a necklace. My father sent it to me from Egypt," Ryou answered, staring up at the ceiling as he tried not to feel uncomfortable with this.

"What the hell…" Seto's words made Ryou look down, and for a moment he stopped breathing. Seto just shook off the strangeness of the situation and continued calmly. "Do you want me to take it out, or do you want to go to the nurse?"

"You can take it out," Ryou answered quickly, growing increasingly agitated. Seto carefully removed the spikes of the golden artifact from where they were embedded in Ryou's chest, grabbing paper towels and pressing them to the holes left behind as they began to bleed. Ryou's hands shook as he took the Millennium Ring from Seto, staring into its eye as Seto got another paper towel and wet it in the sink, coming back to clean the blood from Ryou's chest. Seto glanced up at Ryou, who seemed frozen in shock.

"Hey, are you gonna be alright?" Seto asked, pressing a dry paper towel to the wounds again. It seemed like they had just about stopped bleeding. Ryou's head snapped up, surprised, then nodded.

"Yes, yes, I'll be fine," he assured hurriedly.

"You're not very good at faking it, Ryou," Seto commented. "If you're going to keep saying that you're fine, you should get better at lying." Ryou sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Seto…" Ryou wasn't sure how to continue, afraid that Seto would think him insane if he told the truth.

"Yeah?" Finally, Seto straightened up, having done everything for Ryou that he could. He let out a grunt of surprise as his friend suddenly threw his arms around him, hugging him closely. After a moment, Seto hugged him in return and could feel Ryou shaking at his core.

"You know I'm not crazy, right?"

"Of course you're not crazy," Seto answered matter-of-factly. "You make more sense than most people." Ryou sighed and leaned in against Seto as his knees went weak for a moment, then he released him and began to button his shirt.

"Thank you, for everything," he said, his eyes on his hands. "I think I'll be fine."

Seto studied Ryou with narrow eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Ryou smiled back.

"Good, you were much more convincing that time," Seto responded with a slight smirk. They both left the bathroom, but an eerie voice was still ringing in Ryou's ears: _"Even if you remove the ring, you can't get rid of me. I've chosen to stay in your body forever!"_

* * *

Two weeks later, Marik Ishtar and Mr. Bakura flew from Egypt to Japan. Marik, sick as he was, had been admitted to a hospital in Tokyo as soon as they touched down while Mr. Bakura stayed with him as a translator, helping him to learn English and Japanese while he recovered. This was news that Ryou kept to himself and his family, not wanting to spread rumors in case his friends did get to meet Marik. He'd prefer that Marik be allowed a fresh start in a new place. That's what he was here for, wasn't it? A fresh start and a new life?

All the while, Ryou also kept the incident with the Millennium Ring to himself, as did Seto, who understood discretion perhaps better than anybody else in their small friend group. He was surprised that Seto never asked him about how the Millennium Ring had come to be embedded in his chest like that, but he was also grateful for it. Seto kept his peace because he figured that if Ryou wanted him to know, he'd tell him. He kept a closer eye on Ryou after that, though, since now he knew that Ryou was just like him: even when he needed help, he kept his problems to himself.

Which included his problems with bullies. Once in a fortnight, there was a certain gang that would come around when Ryou was alone and stuff him in a locker or do something else equally juvenile, cruel, and humiliating. Sometimes Seto stopped them, but it was always a matter of chance whether or not he could show up. This time around, when they tried to steal Ryou's dueling deck, Ryou blacked out, waking up a little while later to find his deck safe and sound. But how had he gotten to the stairwell? Hadn't they stopped him when he was outside? And where on earth had those bullies gone? Even though he was freaked out, or maybe because he was so disturbed, Ryou kept this to himself as well. The next day, he found out that the three bullies were hospitalized and in a comatose state.


	8. S0: Destiny

**Author Notes:** In this chapter, I instituted a plot-twist I hadn't planned on earlier, but thankfully, nothing I said earlier contradicts it outright. Hopefully it makes things even cuter for the Wintershipping (Mokuba x Amane) subplot. **_More reviews = more chapters_** , SO PLEASE REVIEW!

* * *

It was only Wednesday night, so Seto let Ryou talk him into stepping inside for just a few moments before he took Mokuba home. Besides, Ryou said that their new guest, and Mr. Bakura, wanted to meet him.

"Seto, this is Marik Ishtar." Ryou then turned to Marik and introduced Seto, then did so again in Arabic. Ryou's father said that doing so helped Marik catch on faster. The two teens stared at each other apprehensively, cerulean eyes meeting lavender in silence for a few moments. Then a look of recognition came over the Egyptian teen's face, and he held out his hand to Seto, who took it carefully and shook it. The handshake was firm and brief, and Seto found it to be an indication of the kind of person he respected.

"It is good to meet you," Marik said in heavily accented English, his words carefully articulated.

"Nice to meet you as well," Seto responded, although he had a funny feeling about the immigrant. Seto wasn't used to trusting intuitions that didn't make any logical sense, but he also didn't tend to have intuitions that were wrong either. As such, he was on his edge as he released Marik's hand. Marik turned to Ryou and said something in Arabic, then turned and went upstairs.

"He said that he has something for you," Ryou said, looking confused. "I can't imagine what it could be, though."

"Get your things together, Mokuba, we'll be leaving in a minute," Seto said, turning to his brother who was sitting on the couch with Amane. Mokuba reluctantly got up and started putting his school books in his backpack, Amane watching him with adoring green eyes.

"Amane," Ryou called as he started to sign to his deaf sister, whose attention was caught as soon as he signed her name. "Mokuba has to leave now, so say goodbye." He spoke as he signed, which was something his whole family did to help her learn to read lips. She'd watched Ryou sign to her, then pouted and began to sign back.

"What's she saying?" Seto asked.

"She's asking if I have to go," Mokuba said, looking cheeky, and Seto rolled his eyes, even as he felt proud of how his brother was catching onto sign language so well.

"How on _earth_ do you two not get sick of each other?" Seto said in exasperation. "You see each other at school five days a week and spend the evenings together six days a week. I don't get it!"

Ryou laughed heartily at Seto's outburst, and Amane looked at her brother with a puzzled expression. Ryou signed and mouthed the words back to her, and she herself started to giggle, which made Mokuba smile even more widely.

Marik came down the stairs at that moment, carrying a shortened gold scepter. He came to stand in front of Seto and held it out to him, saying in Arabic what he didn't have the words to say otherwise.

"He says for you to take it, that his sister told him to give it to you."

"I can't take something like that." Seto stared at the golden artifact with wide eyes. It was obviously a priceless object, and how could he justify accepting such a valuable gift from a near stranger? Marik spoke again in Arabic, still holding out the rod at arm's length so that Seto would take it from him.

"He says that it's your destiny," Ryou translated.

"I don't believe in destiny."

Marik thrust the item in Seto's direction, almost glaring at Seto as he waited for him to take the gift.

Seto didn't understand what was going on, but he figured it was pointless to argue with the Egyptian, for he looked to be cut from the same stubborn as the brunette. Seto sighed and reached out, his hand grasping the length of the Millennium Rod as his eyes fell on the eye at the top of the scepter. Suddenly, a bright flash of light emanating from the eye of Ra blinded Seto. Everything went white before he blacked out.

He seemed to float in darkness while he was unconscious, the only sensation his mind could register was that of strong, warm arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly. The pressure made his bruises and welts ache, and he tried to push away from the embrace, struggled against the stranger, but the arms holding him were far too strong for him to resist. They pulled him in closer, the warmth increasing as it soothed his physical pain. He eventually stopped fighting and came to rest against the warm presence that was healing him. Could he trust this person?

* * *

When he opened his eyes an hour later, he found himself lying on the couch. He let out a grunt as he sat up, his sore body having grown stiff while he lay still.

"Big brother!" The brunette let out a low groan of pain as his little brother tackled him affectionately, putting an arm around his brother as he sat up to adjust his position so that it didn't cause him so much pain.

"Sorry, sorry," Mokuba apologized regretfully, climbing off of his brother to simply stand beside the couch, reaching for his brother's hand and holding it tightly as he sought reassurance in his brother's presence.

"Good to see you awake." Seto didn't recognize the voice, so he stood up quickly, turning around even as he felt a wave of light-headedness. Mokuba clung to his brother's hand still, feeling how tense he was with apprehension. Ryou and an older man that he could only guess to be Mr. Bakura were sharing tea as they sat at the counter. Ryou looked relieved to see Seto on his feet again, but Mr. Bakura looked worried.

"You probably shouldn't stand up so quickly. It's okay to take things easy, you know," he said as he stood. Seto, of course, didn't listen. Looking wary, Seto took a step forward, only to lose his balance as his knees buckled beneath him.

"Seto!" the younger child cried as he caught his brother and pushed him back onto the couch, looking worried.

"Is he always this stubborn?" Mr. Bakura asked somewhere above Seto's head.

"Pretty much," Ryou answered from the counter.

Seto looked up, blinking to clear his vision as Mr. Bakura's face came into view. Mr. Bakura moved out from behind the couch and sat beside the brunette.

"It's good to finally meet you, Seto." Mr. Bakura held out his hand and Seto shook it, regarding Ryou's father with hesitance and respect.

"And you as well, sir," Seto responded. "What happened?" Mr. Bakura hesitated, then let out a long breath.

"Do you believe in magic, Seto?"

"No." He answered without hesitation, looking at Bakura apprehensively.

"Well, you will," was all he said before standing again.

"What do you mean by that?" Seto asked sharply. Something was happening that was beyond his control, and it scared him. Few things truly scared him, but this was one of them. Mokuba, confused and startled by the turn of this conversation, stepped closer to his brother, letting go of his hand to put an arm around him in search of comfort. Seto pulled Mokuba in for a hug, then stood up again, lifting Mokuba into his arms as he did so, deciding that he wasn't going to stick around any longer.

"Look, we need to get going. We have school tomorrow."

"Of course." Mr. Bakura stood as well and stepped aside to let Seto leave. "I'm sorry to have detained you."

Seto picked up Mokuba's backpack and left, his little brother nestling into his shoulder as he dozed off. Mr. Bakura watched them leave until they turned the corner and were out of sight.

"So, what do you think, Dad?" Ryou asked, then suppressed a yawn.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed too," Mr. Bakura answered with a smile.

"No, I mean about Seto." Ryou looked worried. "He's not okay, right? He needs help, I just don't know why or with what." His father sighed and rubbed the back of his had thoughtfully.

"I need to spend more time talking with him to determine that, to be honest. But don't worry, I will. Why don't you invite him over Friday? You two could duel while the little ones watch a movie or something."

"I'll invite him, but he'll probably have work. Fridays are always his busiest days."

"Where does he work?"

"He's a bartender at The Underground. It's somewhere downtown. He says that he helps them to identify and remove minors that are using fake IDs."

"Uh-huh." Mr. Bakura looked thoughtful. "I'll make some inquiries and see if we can't figure out what's really going on." Ryou nodded, looking very tired indeed. "Like I said, it's time for you to get to bed."

"Okay, okay," he murmured, standing up and giving his father a hug. He didn't seem to want to let go. "I'm scared, Dad," he whispered.

"About the Millennium Ring?" Ryou nodded, and his father's arms tightened around him. "Don't worry, son, we'll figure it out. Everything will be alright."

* * *

Seto put Mokuba to bed as soon as they got home, careful to be quiet since their dad was passed out on the couch. Then he sat down at the table and pulled out all the homework he had left to do by tomorrow, which was more than he felt like dealing with at the moment, but at the same time, he knew that he didn't have any choice but to get it all done. He needed to continue acing his classes so that he could have a chance at getting into a good college and earning the full tuition scholarship that would enable him to attend.

By passing out, he'd lost more time than he could afford to lose. Now it was late, he was tired, and it was harder to focus after the incident with the artifact. Now that he thought about, he wondered what had happened to it. Hadn't Marik insisted that he have it? He glanced over at Mokuba's backpack, which had felt heavier than usual; he had attributed that to his being tired and sore, but now he wondered. He got up and opened it, the eye of Ra glaring brightly at him from the inside of his brother's backpack. He took it out, not sure what he was going to do with it. If his father found it, he would pawn it in a heartbeat. He couldn't let his brother carry around something so valuable, for a number of reasons. That meant that Seto would need to keep it on his person at all times, for safety. When he next saw Marik, he would give it back, but until then, he'd keep it safe.

He hesitated before tucking it into his own backpack, looking into its eye again. How had this made him pass out? Did Mr. Bakura think that it had been caused by magic? Absurd. Seto didn't believe in anything outside of what science and empiricism could prove. That's not to say that he discounted intuition or emotion, for emotions could be displayed on fMRI brain scans and intuition was just the subconscious picking up on details that the conscious mind didn't grasp. In Seto's young life, there had never been anything that convinced him of any such thing as providence, luck, destiny, fate, karma, ghosts, spirits, demons, angels, monsters, gods, or anything else of the sort. You can't depend on luck or fate to give you anything in life, you could only depend on yourself, and, conversely, you could only blame yourself when your efforts failed.

He carefully tucked the scepter into the hidden inner pocket of his backpack, hoping it would be enough to protect it from damage. Then he actually set about doing his homework, which took him until four in the morning to complete. When he was finished putting his things away, he crossed his arms on the table in front of him and lay his head down on them, letting his eyes close for just a few moments…

He jerked awake an hour and a half later, at his normal wake-up time. He was incredibly stiff from sleeping in a seated position. Great, just great. Barely any sleep, already in bad condition, and extremely sore from sleeping in a chair: his weekly visit with Gozaburo was going to be especially torturous tonight. He stood with a groan and stretched, trying to ease some of the pain from his taut muscles. At least their substitute gym coach was much more lenient than Coach Trudge; that made the day less daunting, but only slightly.

* * *

 **LadyKaiba27:** I don't plan on including any lemons, but if my plans change at any point, then I'll let you know and up the rating. :)

 **Lady's Secret:** Thank you! :) I hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as you have been!

 **SB-129:** Thank you so much!

 **liron-aria:** I know, my poor babies. :( At least Ryou has his dad around to help him handle hosting the Spirit of the Millennium. And Ryou's dad will do his best to help Seto, too. I promise. 3


	9. S0: Challenge

**Author Notes:** Please enjoy the first chapter featuring Noah Kaiba! **_More reviews = more chapters_** , so review! **Text in bold denotes quotes from/allusions to the musical _Hamilton._**

* * *

Seto tried to stand as straight as possible in order to keep the fabric of his shirt from rubbing against the skin of his back. He would be trying to keep it from being touched at all for a few days, at least. Gozaburo had flogged him until his entire back felt raw and he didn't think he would ever move again; that's what Seto got for being too tired or sore to adequately satisfy the cruel corporation president. Any contact at all made it sting, and the more it came into contact with anything, like his shirt, the more the raw skin burned.

Once he'd gotten dressed, he'd pocketed the money and entered the elevator to go back to the ground floor and finally head home for the night. He was about a third of the way down when the elevator stopped, and Seto started. The doors opened, and he was faced with a teen who looked like he could be Seto's twin, even though his hair had been dyed a vibrant neon green.

He had the same lanky form as Seto, same height, same proportions. Even their eyes were the same piercing shade of sapphire blue. The other smirked as he stepped inside the elevator and pushed the button to take him to Gozaburo's office. The doors closed as they stood side by side and the carriage continued its descent.

"So you're my father's little whore."

The smooth voice, the mocking tone, the arrogant attitude, his own severe physical pain: it was more than enough to make Seto snap.

Seto turned on the other teen, catching him in the jaw with a closed fist. The other looked surprised as he was knocked into the wall of the elevator, as if he wasn't used to physical retaliation. Seto turned to face the elevator doors again, feeling smug.

"You're no better than me, Moneybags."

"Do you have any _idea_ who I am?" Noah sounded outraged as he rubbed his aching jaw.

"Yes. You're Noah Kaiba, international chess champion, heir to the Kaiba Corporation, and tabloid playboy. You're no better than me." And one of the four owners of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, although he kept that to himself. It wasn't public knowledge, and the only reason Seto knew was because of his weekly visits to the KaibaCorp Headquarters. There was no need to say it aloud. Seto threw a glare at Noah. "I would even venture to say that I'm _better_ than you."

"How _dare_ you!" Noah was furious. "You're worth less than the dirt on my shoes, you slut!"

"How about you put your money where your mouth is?" Seto returned, turning to face the entitled, rebellious teen. This was either one of the stupidest decisions of his life or one of the smartest things he'd ever done. Maybe he was lashing out because of his frustrations with his situation, or maybe he just hated Gozaburo so much that taking it out on his son was good enough. They stood **toe to toe** , enmity crackling in the air between them like electricity.

"What did you have in mind?"

"How about a chess match?"

Noah laughed cruelly.

"Alright, fine. I'll enjoy wiping the floor with you. If I win, you'll become _my_ little toy instead of my father's." He crossed his arms, looking confident that Seto would back down at the prospect of such high stakes.

"And if I win," Seto said as he crossed his arms. "Then you have to give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card." Even he knew that it was far too risky to try and ask for money. That would only end in violence and a legal mess.

"Then it's a match." Noah raised one eyebrow, looking as smug as if he'd already won. "Meet me on the forty-fifth floor, Saturday, at midnight. If you're late, you'll lose automatically."

"I won't be late."

"See you then."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Seto walked out of the elevator, the rush of adrenaline fueling him as he walked all the way to Ryou's house. He didn't want to step inside and get side-tracked again. However, as Ryou told Mokuba to get his things together (you would think that he'd have learned by now to be ready for when his brother came to pick him up), Mr. Bakura stepped up to the door.

"Can I talk with you briefly Seto?" he asked.

"I need to get Mokuba home. Tomorrow's a school day."

"It'll only take a few minutes," the archaeologist insisted as he joined Seto and closed the door behind him. "Why don't we sit down?"

"If it'll only take a few moments, sir, I'd rather not." In truth, Seto was in too much pain to sit down without his pain showing. He'd somehow forgotten to bring his pain-killers along with him tonight, which meant that he was still in some rather excruciating pain. It was only years of carefully practiced control over his expressions that allowed him to hide the constant hum of pain he felt. Any irritation of his wounds, though, and he didn't think he could hide the increase of pain.

"How about we go for a stroll around the block, then?" Mr. Bakura offered, seeming congenial and calm, so Seto nodded reluctantly. The two of them began to **walk side by side** , Seto still on edge despite the relaxed manner the older man adopted.

"My son says you work a lot of hours."

"That's true."

"Where do you work?"

"I'm a bartender at The Underground, a club downtown."

"Ryou told me that. I checked into it, though, and I found that you were fired several months ago for disruptive behavior. What was that about?"

Seto snorted disdainfully. "I stood up to a rake. Apparently, because he was a customer, I wasn't allowed to tell him _not_ to molest a young woman who told him no," Seto snapped. He was still bitter about losing that job just for trying to do the right thing. Technically, he'd lost his job for starting a bar brawl that broke a few stools, several glasses, and disrupted the patrons, but that only happened because he'd been doing the right thing.

"And before that, you worked as a waiter at a steakhouse, yes?" Seto stopped in his tracks, his jaw clenching. "Keep walking, Seto." Something about his calm, unassuming tone prompted Seto to keep walking. "That was your job before The Underground, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

They turned a corner.

"And how did you lose that job?"

"I was assaulted by the restaurant manager, sir." Seto hoped that his cheeks didn't betray the nature of the assault.

"I see." Clearly, Mr. Bakura didn't need a blush to tell him what happened. "And before that you were a clerk in the library? What happened there?"

"Yes, sir. I was let go by the library because they needed to make staff cuts due to tax reforms. The economy's not what it used to be."

"You speak like you're much older than you are, Seto," Mr. Bakura observed casually.

"I've had to act much older than I am for most of my life, so I guess that makes sense."

"What do you mean by that?"

Silence.

"You're very polite as well. Did your parents raise you that way?"

"No, sir." There was a bitter laugh in his voice that he didn't care enough to hide.

"How long ago did your mother die, Seto?"

A pause.

"Eleven years ago."

"And your father…?" Bakura had no idea what Seto's father was like, because Ryou didn't know either.

"What about him, sir?" Seto had his guard up. He always hated when people pried into his personal life.

"What's he like? Where does he work?"

"He doesn't," Seto answered tersely. "He's alcoholic, and he uses my money to get what he needs. That's why I work so many hours. I provide for all of us." Bakura was silent for a few moments, thinking this over as they turned a second corner.

"You seem honest by nature, Seto, so I'm curious as to why you've been lying for so long about where you work."

Silence.

"Where _do_ you work?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, sir, but that's none of your business." Mr. Bakura may be trustworthy enough for Seto to tell him about his father, but he'd be damned if he was about to divulge his darkest secrets.

"Where did you come from just now?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but if I told you that, I could get both of us in a lot of trouble."

"Does that mean that you're in trouble right now, Seto?" Silence for a while, and Bakura was about to give up on that question when he heard Seto inhale deeply, as if preparing to speak.

"I…" Seto's voice faltered and failed, and he suddenly felt very vulnerable. He didn't even know what he'd thought he was gonna say. He hadn't expected Ryou's father to talk circles around his head and screw with his thoughts like this, otherwise he would've been more careful.

"You know, Seto, you can trust me with anything," Mr. Bakura assured, lifting a hand and giving him a pat on the back of his shoulder, only to see Seto nearly double over as he groaned in pain. "Seto! Are you alright?" he said as he stopped and bent down to see what was wrong. Seto quickly straightened up with a grunt, side-stepping to put distance between the two of them.

"Don't touch me," Seto snapped, grimacing in pain. The pain was clearly severe enough to affect both his breathing and his posture.

"What's wrong, Seto? Where are you hurt?" Bakura was persistent, though he didn't try to touch him again.

"Nothing, I'm fine." It was a well-practiced lie. Seto didn't think he was even capable of saying otherwise anymore. The truth was too painful, and that lie was so _easy_ , much too easy… as easy as swallowing more painkillers to hide the truth from everyone around him. He continued to walk forward, turning the third street corner as Mr. Bakura watched from behind, his eyes widening in shock.

"Stop!" Seto froze. "You're bleeding through your shirt." Bakura's voice held that same mixture of shock and concern that he had seen on Joey's face over a month ago when _he'd_ first learned the truth. Mr. Bakura was at his side quickly, reaching for Seto again, but the brunette flinched away from his hand.

"Don't. Touch. Me," he repeated, emphasizing each word. Seto's tone and posture reminded Mr. Bakura of when he encountered an injured crocodile in Egypt, ready to snap at anything that came near.

"Okay, I won't," he said calmly, hoping that his own calm would help Seto to relax. "But we need to get you back to the house." Seto just nodded and they walked back to the house at a quicker pace, both silent as Bakura watched his son's friend carefully, thinking over everything he'd learned. Seto hadn't had a mother since he was five, and his father had proved to be undependable and unstable. Seto, having taken the role of primary care provider for his family, had subjugated his own needs and desires to the needs and desires of his little brother. He'd fallen into something bad, and while he could make some guesses, he didn't want to assume anything. Besides, Seto was clearly mistrusting, and if he made any kind of assumption about him it might drive him away.

When they came back to the front steps, Bakura went first. His hand was on the doorknob when Seto stopped him.

"Sir, before we go in there, you need to promise me something." Bakura turned around to see Seto standing with that perfectly straight posture he'd had before, his chin set stubbornly.

"I'm listening."

"I'll only go in there and let you help me **if you promise not to tell anyone about this,** any of this. Not Ryou, not your wife, not the authorities, not child services, nobody at all. Can you promise me that?" Ryou's father was silent for a moment, contemplating the implications of such a promise.

"I will promise you that only if you promise to let me help you, and not just this one time. Let me help you get out of whatever trouble you're in. If you get hurt like this again, come back and let me take care of you. I won't take action or seek outside help without your permission, but I want you to trust me and tell me what's going on."

"Fine." Seto was in too much pain to deny the offer.

"Then it's a promise." Mr. Bakura held out his hand and Seto shook it, sealing the deal. "Come on, let's get you taken care of."

* * *

Ryou had overseen Mokuba getting his things together, but had noticed with surprise when he glanced out the window that Seto and his father seemed to be going for a walk. He told Mokuba to wait on the couch while Ryou got Amane to bed; the two of them were awake way too late already, and tomorrow was a school day. The two children gave each other a goodnight hug—which Ryou couldn't help but perceive as totally adorable—then he took Amane upstairs. When he came down again, it was just in time to see Seto and his father re-enter the house through the front door. Mokuba started to stand up, but his father stopped him.

"Mokuba can you please wait here with Ryou until we come back?" was all his father said, glancing at Ryou for confirmation, who nodded in answer. Then he glanced at Seto, but his face was turned away, so Ryou couldn't get any hints from him as to what was going on. He had just reached the couch when he glanced after them again as his father led Seto down the hall, noticing with a small gasp the fresh blood stain on the back of Seto's shirt.

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked, tugging on Ryou's hand to get his attention. Ryou looked down at him with a small smile and held his hand comfortingly.

"My dad just wants to talk to your brother for a bit, okay?" Ryou sat down next to Mokuba, who lay down and put his head in Ryou's lap. "Have you been getting enough sleep, lately, Mokuba?"

"No, but I sleep more than Seto," the child answered tiredly. "I don't think he got to bed at all last night. We catch up on the weekends, though."

Ryou smiled a little sadly as he said, "How about you get some sleep now while we wait for him?"

"Okay…" Mokuba yawned as he closed his eyes, snuggling against the teen he considered to be a secondary brother. He dozed off rather quickly, and Ryou busied himself combing the tangles out of Mokuba's hair with his fingers and contemplating the blood on Seto's shirt. What had happened? Just how much was his friend hiding from him?


	10. S0: Questions

**Text in bold denotes quotes from/allusions to the musical _Hamilton._**

* * *

"How did you know about my past jobs?" Seto asked before he hissed again at the burning sensation of the wet washcloth touching his fresh wounds once more. He'd only let the archaeologist see his back; he was still hiding the bruises for as long as he could. He could only traverse the road to recovery one step at a time.

"I have a friend in law enforcement who owed me a favor; I asked him to look into your employment records for me." He continued to clean the raw stripes on Seto's back, wincing himself whenever Seto vocalized his pain. "You need to stop pulling away, or I'll never finish this."

Seto grit his teeth and did his best to merely bear the pain in silence while Ryou's father focused on tending to his injuries. Of course, the silence was too good to last long.

" **Who did this** to you?"

Seto remained silent at first. "If I'm not ready to answer a question yet, then I don't have to," he said quietly. He couldn't be rushed through this. He still wasn't sure if he shouldn't already be regretting his decision to trust him.

"Fair enough." He thought for several moments, trying to choose a question that would be easier for him to answer. "Why, then?"

"For his own pleasure," Seto muttered.

"His?"

Silence.

"How long has _this_ been going on?" It was all too obvious that this wasn't the first time he'd been lashed. The fresh wounds couldn't hide the older wounds and scars.

"It started not long after I lost my last job." It was easier to say when they started than it was to say how long he'd been thrashed on a weekly basis. Not that thrashing was the only thing happening on a weekly basis, or even a daily basis.

"How often does it occur?"

Seto choked on the words for a moment. "Every Thursday."

"Does that mean that I can expect to see you back here next Thursday?"

"Well, I'll be here to pick up Mokuba, so yes."

"Do you see an end to this anytime soon?"

"No," he admitted with a sigh.

"Why do you let it happen?"

Silence.

"You assume that I have a choice."

It wasn't quite an answer, but he figured it was the best he would get from him today.

"Is your father violent?"

"Only when he's drunk."

"How often is he drunk?"

"Too often."

"Has he ever caused you or your brother physical harm?"

"I've always protected Mokuba."

"And has he ever hurt _you_?"

Silence.

"When did he become alcoholic?"

"A few years after Mom died. He was still working, then, still trying to keep it together."

"How long after he became alcoholic did he become violent?"

"Not very long."

"Did he ever hit you when you were a child?"

"I couldn't let him hurt Mokuba."

What kind of an answer was _that_?

"How old was Mokuba the first time he hit you?"

"Four years old." That would make Seto nine at the time.

"Does he still hurt you?"

Silence.

"Did he do _this_ to you?" Bakura really hoped not.

Seto opened his mouth to answer but closed it again. If his silence kept Mr. Bakura from guessing at the awful truth before he was ready to reveal it, then yes, he was willing to deceive through omission.

"If you don't answer my questions, I can't help you," Mr. Bakura sighed, pausing in his ministrations to get the antibacterial ointment out of the first aid kit. When he began to spread the substance over the raw flesh, Seto grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to cope with the pain. There was another pause in the conversation.

"My son told me a while ago that you stood up for him in gym class when the coach was overstepping his bounds. Thank you."

"Ryou's a good person. He didn't deserve that treatment."

"I would argue that the same thing holds true for you."

"With all due respect, you hardly know me, sir."

"I know enough to see that you're a hard worker, a protective brother, a good student. You manage your finances carefully. You juggle being a student, providing for your family, and raising your brother with impressive results. The way you defend others is honorable—Ryou's told me how you've always stood up to bullies, even for the sake of strangers. There are so many in circumstances as hard as yours who just give up, but you didn't, and that says something about your character."

It felt incredibly strange to be praised, complimented. He almost felt like he needed to deflect it somehow, to show how depraved he really was, because Bakura's lofty impression of him simply wasn't accurate.

"I don't think I would be all those things if it weren't for Mokuba," he said quietly. "I don't fight for myself. I work hard to give _him_ a better future and to make the present not so bad."

"And there's nothing wrong with that. Just because the need to look out for your brother is what prompted you to be who you are, it doesn't make you any less honorable or good."

Seto didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent as the archaeologist began to spread gauze over his back, securing it with medical tape.

"These should be left on for a few days at least."

Seto nodded, unwilling to tell him that he simply wouldn't be able to keep them on for even a full twenty-four hours.

"How much sleep do you get on average per night, would you say?"

"Four to five hours, usually. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a lot less. I only get full nights of sleep on the weekend."

"How come you never told anybody about your father, never asked anybody for help?" Seto chose his words carefully, not wanting to speak inaccuracies by accident.

"We have no extended family in the area, not that I know of anyways. At the least, we don't have many who were on good terms with my parents when my mother died. I think… I had a cousin who started going to college in Domino a few months afterward, and, if I remember correctly, my father paid her to come by and take care of Mokuba, since he was still so little then and my father needed to work. So at first, things were okay. My dad was distant, detached, but he wasn't doing anything _wrong_ at that point. My cousin graduated college and left, and by then I was old enough to take care of Mokuba myself." Bakura had to wonder how Seto thought that nine years old was old enough to take care of _anybody_. "My dad had had a pretty good job for a while at that point; he'd been working at the same place for several years, since before Mokuba was born. After my cousin left, though, my dad started to slowly fall apart. He lost his job, and that was when he started drinking." He hesitated, not wanting to think about the details of the first time he'd seen his father drunk. "It was only intermittent at first, and he got another job, though it wasn't quite the same. It didn't pay as well and he didn't like it as much." He found that he had to pause again, trying to remember why he'd started into this story in the first place and where he was going with it. "He had a few different jobs after that point. He lost them as his drinking got worse. Things kept falling apart, and we lost the house when I was twelve, then we moved to the apartment we're in now. By this point, I was aware that things had gotten pretty bad, but I also understood that if I told someone what was going on, Mokuba and I would be taken from our dad and put in the system, where we'd probably get separated. I couldn't let Mokuba be on his own, so I've done what I can since then to help us survive so that we could stay together. When I graduate, I plan on appealing to the system for sole custody of my brother so that we don't ever have to worry about being separated."

Silence lingered between them for a few minutes as Mr. Bakura finished taping gauze to the teen's back.

"Well, that's the best I can do. Now you just need some time to let it heal, and you should be fine." Seto nodded and pulled his shirt back on before he turned around, not wanting to share anymore of himself tonight. Ryou's father put away the first-aid kit before turning to address Seto again. "I'm sure your brother must have fallen asleep by now. Do you need me to give you a ride home?"

"No, thank you," Seto answered automatically, even though by now the adrenaline from his encounter with Noah Kaiba was long gone and last night's hour and a half of sleep was taking its toll, nevermind his body's bruised and weakened state.

"Nonsense, you look like you could fall asleep standing up. It won't be any trouble at all." Seto didn't have the energy to argue, so he merely let Mr. Bakura lead him back into the main living area where Ryou and Mokuba had fallen asleep together on the couch. Bakura got his car keys while Seto shouldered Mokuba's backpack and then went to lift Mokuba into his arms. He carried his sleeping brother out to Mr. Bakura's car and sat with him in the back-seat, not wanting to leave him on his own back there. He gave his friend's father his address and sat back in his seat, trying not to fall asleep himself.

* * *

Seto and Mokuba had gone to sleep as soon as they got home. Seto had hoped to sleep well, but it seemed like his brain had different plans for him. Now, Seto had never been one to dream often. Even when their life had gradually descended into misery, his father had become alcoholic, and he'd been forced into prostitution, he'd never had nightmares. If he'd ever had any as a child, he didn't remember ever having them. That night, however, he had his first nightmare, and what a nightmare it was.

 _He was running in the desert, running as fast as he could, even as his lungs burned and he gasped for air. He knew that something bad would happen if he stopped running, but he didn't know what. He stumbled onward through the darkness, not even daring to look back over his shoulder, but soon enough the lack of oxygen made him dizzy and his vision blurred. He ran on despite this, but soon tripped and came to a painful stop in the dusty sand. He scrambled back to his feet only to have a heavy hand seize his shoulder. He cried out as he struggled against it, but soon there were many hands seizing him, grabbing him in strong, cruel hands that caused him pain and forced him to his knees. The human presence surrounding him was suffocating, and he shouted protests as he wildly kicked and fought to free himself._

 _"Don't touch me! Let go! Don't touch me! Let go of me!"_

 _His cries remained unheeded as panic rose in his chest, making him frantic and incapable of thinking about anything but his need to be free of the hands that held him down, now pushing him from kneeling to lying face-down in the sand._

 _"Stop! Let go of me!" he screamed._

Seto's eyes flew open to find himself sleeping on his back, his sheets tangled as if he'd slept restlessly last night, which was unusual for him. With a groan, he rolled onto his stomach, still trying to catch his breath. His dream had unnerved him, and he needed a few moments to collect himself before he could get up and shower. One thing that he couldn't figure out, though: Why had he been in the desert?

* * *

Seto was quiet at breakfast with Mokuba and at lunch with Ryou, Yugi, and Joey, bothered by the events of last night as well as his dream. Besides, he was also mentally going over everything he knew about chess strategies, especially what he knew about Noah Kaiba's chess strategies. He needed to be prepared for his match tomorrow night.

"Hey Seto! Earth to Seto! Hey, are you in there?" Yugi's voice finally snapped Seto out of his reverie.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, looking up to see that all three of his friends were staring at him.

"Whatchya doin'?" Joey asked, peering at the piece of paper Seto had in front of him, where the brunette had been writing a long list of letter-number pairs.

"I'm going over a chess strategy," he explained as the blond stared at the chess coordinates with a confused expression.

"Don't hurt yourself too hard trying to think, Joey," Anzu said as she entered the room, joining the four boys amiably.

"Why the sudden fascination with chess?" Yugi asked curiously.

"I have a chess match with someone tomorrow. I've played for years, so I know I'm good, but my opponent is also very good, and I don't want to lose," Seto answered calmly.

"Why is it so important that you win?" Joey asked suspiciously, one eyebrow raised. As Seto thought about his bet with Noah, he couldn't help but allow himself a self-satisfied half-smirk.

"Let's just say I have a lot riding on this match," he answered breezily, hoping they would drop the subject, but Joey was getting excited.

"You made a bet, didn'tchya? I'll bet you did!"

" _Did_ you make a bet?" Ryou asked, his eyes wide as the word "bet" triggered everything he knew about gambling.

"Not for money," Seto assured, which satisfied Ryou.

"What do you get if you win?" Yugi asked, looking eager as well. Seto hesitated. He didn't want to tell his friends that he had a shot at winning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in case he lost and had to come back to school on Monday to tell them that he'd failed.

"If I win, I'll tell you."

"Aw, c'mon, we all know you're gonna win anyways, so why not tell us now?" Joey griped.

"It's true: you're the undefeated champion of the chess club," Ryou pointed out. "I can't imagine there being anybody better than you."

Seto felt uncomfortable receiving all of that praise and sat stiff and flustered for a moment, but he was saved from responding by the ring of the school bell.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! What was your favorite moment? Did something surprise you? Post it in your review! Remember, **_more reviews = more chapters_** , so keep reviewing! Lots of love to my dedicated readers/reviewers!


	11. S0: Checkmate

Saturday morning, Seto indulged himself just a little bit. He understood that presentation mattered, and since he planned on graduating high school very soon indeed, it wasn't so much an indulgence as it was an early purchase of something he'd need to buy sooner or later. He'd gone to the consignment store and gotten some nicer clothes, which included a trenchcoat the deep color of midnight. It was worth the money, especially since he knew that if he didn't make himself look somewhat presentable, Noah would give him hell for it. He had taken the gold scepter with him when he went out to "work" that night, although he couldn't properly justify to himself why he had done this.

Of course, magic didn't exist, so that voice in his head urging him to take the scepter with him for when he faced off Noah was just his imagination. Yet, he had listened to the voice, tucking the artifact through one of the beltloops of his pants, but behind him, where the coat could hide it. He felt different as he walked down the sidewalk towards KaibaCorp HQ. He felt less like a victim and more like a victor, even though he hadn't even won the game yet. This feeling stayed with him up until the point where he entered the forty-fifth floor of the tall office building and was led by a security guard to a meeting room where a chess board had been set up in the middle of the table and Noah Kaiba was waiting for him. Seto was fifteen minutes early, which made Noah scowl.

"Alright, let's get on with this," Noah said as if he were already bored. "I'm a busy person, so you should be grateful that I made time for you in my schedule." The guard took up a position along the wall, fading into the shadows as the two teens faced each other.

"Right, because at this time of night, you'd usually already be drunk at a club," Seto retorted, unable to keep the nastiness out of his voice. Something about Noah Kaiba made his skin crawl and the bile rise in his throat; that spoiled, arrogant snob needed to be put in his place, and Seto would take pleasure in doing so.

* * *

Until this point, Seth had been content to remain as an observer of Seto's life, learning what he was and what he did, but there were times when he did wish to interfere. It grieved his soul to see his reincarnation selling his body just to make a living, tortured his heart to see how it was affecting Seto and what he had to do to cope. If he could have interfered with that, he would have, but he was always too far to do so, since Seto would leave the Millennium Rod with his coat when he went to be with a client. If he could have had his way, he would have taken Seto far from the people who wished to use him then throw him away.

Until this point, he'd been unable to stop Seto from what he was doing, but now that his host was about to sit down to chess with a young man whose heart was filled with a tangible evil, he could no longer sit idly by. If he didn't step in, things might get terribly out of hand.

 _Forgive me, Seto, but I can't let you do this alone._

* * *

"Roland is going to make sure that nobody cheats during this match. Whoever's caught cheating will be forced into automatic surrender," Noah was saying as Seth took control and gently sealed away Seto's soul, protecting the teen from what was about to happen.

"Believe me, _I_ will not be cheating," Seth said smoothly, seating himself across the table from his opponent. Since Noah's focus was on Seth, he didn't realize that dark, swirling fog had materialized around them, enveloping the three of them and the table. "Did you bring the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card?"

"Although I highly doubt it will be leaving my possession, yes, I did." Noah pulled the card out of his wallet and held it up to show Seth the image on the card.

"Good, lay it on the table next to the chess board." Noah did so; he was willing to play a fair game, and in truth, he was sincerely hoping that this match would actually present a challenge to him. He was awfully board with his life, taking joy in few to none of his daily activities. Sure, he was a genius, but that meant that nothing was difficult enough to provide adequate intellectual stimulation. That's why he'd turned to partying, which did him little good in the end. He wanted this to be challenging, yes, but in the end, he had to win.

"As a means of ensuring fair play, I propose we play a Shadow Game. That way, we won't need to use our hands to move the pieces and there's no way for either of us to cheat."

Noah opened his mouth to speak, probably to ask what he meant by a "Shadow Game," but just then Seth had begun to warp the room, stretching out the space between him and Noah even as they both rose up on towers of dark matter and the chess board became a large, checkered battlefield beneath them, the pieces taking on new life. Of course, each set of chess pieces took on identities from the respective players' memories and souls. Seth's pawns were represented by a green-clad knight in dragon armor (a past reincarnation that Seth recognized as Christian Seto Rosenkreuz), his bishops were represented by his own Egyptian self, his knights were the legendary knight Critias (who had been reincarnated through Seth) riding his own dragon form, his rooks were the spirit of the proud Kaibaman, his king was Seto Kaiba, looking stronger and more confident than he was at this point in his life in this universe. And his queen, his powerful, precious queen… She tipped her head back to look up at Seth with a gracious smile, her blue eyes gentle and affectionate.

"Kisara…" he whispered, unable to help himself as he stared down at his long-lost lover.

This was a part of the Shadow powers Seth had best channeled in Egypt as pharaoh: tapping into the metaphysical stream of consciousness that could draw from a single soul's past, present, and future.

"What have you done?! What is this?!" Noah shrieked, completely out of sorts as he stared around him and at the chess board. "You've drugged me!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger in Seth's direction. Seth just chuckled and crossed his arms, now holding the Millennium Rod in his right hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're just two ordinary teenagers sitting down to a high-stakes game of chess. That's what he sees, anyways," Seth said, nodding in the direction of the man Noah had called Roland. Noah looked furious, but Seth remained calm. "Come now, let's do what we came here to do. Shall you go first, or shall I?"

"We'll determine it with a coin toss," the green-haired teen snapped. Noah was still angry and confused, but he was confused enough that he couldn't resist Seth's attempts to get the game on track. He pulled a silver dollar out of his pocket and tossed it into the air, catching it and laying it on the back of his hand without looking.

"Your call," Seth said graciously, his eyes flashing.

"Heads." Noah looked at the coin and scowled. "It's tails."

"Then I'll go first. Pawn to E3." One of the eight green knights on the chess board strode forward until he was centered in the square directly in front of him. Strange that even his pawns, the lowest pieces on the board, were represented by someone noble.

"Hm. That's _my_ opening move. Couldn't come up with a strategy of your own? Pawn to E6," Noah snapped, and one of his pawns, a small raven-haired girl, stepped forward to mimic the other pawn's movements. Seeing his little sister move as his pawn made something uncomfortable stir inside of Noah, but he pushed down the strange feeling. He needed to focus. He needed to win, if only for the sake of his pride.

Seth smirked. He'd tapped into Seto's knowledge and understanding of chess, and as the myriad of master strategies filled his mind, he felt certain that there was no way he'd lose this game. They continued the game, one move at a time. The first time a piece was taken, it was Seth's bishop slaying one of Noah's pawns. Noah winced as he watched, his eyes wide as he was faced with the vision of his little sister being cut down in cold blood.

"She didn't—she's not—I mean, you didn't really—" Noah was tripping over his words as what was left of his humanity surfaced briefly, rebelling against what he'd just seen.

"Don't worry," Seth assured with an amused chuckle. "This is just a drug-induced hallucination after all, isn't it?" Noah grunted in frustration, glaring at his opponent.

"Don't be such a smart-ass!" he yelled back, having shaken off the shock of the gore. He made his next move, and the game continued. Noah was surprised that a prostitute was capable of implementing such complex chess strategies, and he found that as much as he wished to crush him in this game, he truly was enjoying the challenge. Gradually, one by one, the number of pieces on the board dwindled. As Seth contemplated his next move, Seto Kaiba turned his head to look up at him, arms crossed and hips jutted casually forward in a cocky sort of confidence. It seemed to be his default stance.

"Don't screw this up!"

Seth nodded to his king, acknowledging his words even as Noah gasped in shock.

"They can _talk_?!"

"Of course they can talk," Seth retorted. "They're people too, you know." He faced Seto Kaiba again, curious about the alternate universe he had come from.

"What's your story? How did you become a Kaiba, if I might ask?"

"Our father died a few years after our mother did," his king answered. "And he"—Kaiba nodded in Noah's direction—"died in a car accident when he was ten. We were in an orphanage for a few years before Gozaburo, the international chess champion at the time, visited as part of a publicity stunt. I challenged him to a game of chess, and if I won, he had to adopt Mokuba and I." He smirked with satisfaction. "Obviously, he underestimated me, and I won." He frowned then, and sighed almost imperceptibly. "Gozaburo abused me in the name of education for several years before I overthrew him and took control of KaibaCorp and my own life. Everything I have, I earned through hard work and determination. I don't depend on anybody for anything, because in the end, we're all alone in this world. People may call me cold and heartless, more machine than human, but I don't care. They speak out of ignorance, so their words are meaningless." He lifted his chin proudly. "All that matters is that I know the truth."

Seth found himself sobered by the story. "Thank you for telling me," he said with another nod, showing respect to the corporation president acting as his king in this match of Shadow chess. Although it wasn't the actual soul of Seto Kaiba, it was a mirror of his soul, a reflection of it, which meant that it was identical to its source.

Seth then called out, "Knight to G7." Critias moved accordingly, his dragon leaping into the air to fly to the assigned square. The dragon landed gracefully, and Critias studied his new surroundings as if trying to anticipate Seth's next move.

"Queen to A5," Noah commanded, and his queen, a woman from Noah's life that Seth could not identify, moved to where she'd been told, even as her expression turned dubious. Were his own pieces doubting him?

"Bishop to H8," Seth ordered, and the High Priest Seth walked with dignity to the designated position. So the game continued, and Noah grew increasingly distressed. He was losing. More of his pieces were slaughtered and disappeared from the board, and he began to feel cornered. It wasn't hopeless, though. It couldn't possibly be. He was a champion. He couldn't lose this.

"I'm disappointed in you, Noah." Gozaburo, Noah's king, was speaking to his son now that he had only five pieces on the board. "You should have destroyed him by now. Clearly, you've learned nothing from all my lessons about how to annihilate your enemies without mercy." Noah's expression twisted into one of horror.

"No, father, I've learned from you!" he insisted. "I'm doing my best. Just you wait and see! I'll make you proud, Father!"

Seth shook his head sadly as he watched the exchange. "You'll eat your words, Noah Kaiba." It wasn't a boast: it was a warning. For in the next few turns, Seth had killed his remaining pieces defending his king. Seth had two bishops, at G2 and G3, two knights, at E2 and F4, two rooks at C3 and D2, Kisara at C1, Seto Kaiba at H5, and one queened pawn (Rosenkreuz now riding a Blue-Eyes White Dragon) at B3 all left on the board. While he'd taken minimal damage, Noah had lost everything but his king, a disgruntled Gozaburo standing on H2.

"Checkmate."

"No…" Noah's eyes were wide as he stared at the chess-board, stunned. This couldn't be true. He was a genius, a champion. "No, no, no! You must have cheated! That's the only way you could have won!" Kisara stepped forward, lifting a shining silver sword in her hands.

"You have failed me, Noah!" Gozaburo shouted at his son, looking like the embodiment of rage itself. Kisara approached Gozaburo, looking grave and calm, a sharp contrast to the opposing king.

"You must have cheated!" Noah insisted, pointing at Seth once more as he threw a temper tantrum. Kisara held the sword in both hands above her head.

"You have failed!" were Gozaburo's last words before Kisara plunged the heavy sword into his heart. Gozaburo fell, bleeding, onto the chess board.

"I did not cheat, Noah," Seth said, his face serious. "You lost because of your own disrespect for life. If you do not honor your pieces and their sacrifice, how are you supposed to win? When you sacrifice them so easily, how will you ever know when to stop? You will sacrifice and sacrifice until you have nothing left. You lost and you have nobody to blame but yourself." Noah was still in shock as the world around them contracted and reshaped itself into the meeting room on the forty-fifth floor of KaibaCorp Headquarters.

Seth picked up the Blue-Eyes card from the table, relieved that his beloved was no longer in the clutches of such a black-hearted scoundrel. He tucked it safely away in an inside pocket of his coat as he stood. He couldn't give control back to Seto just yet, even though the danger had passed. He didn't want to disorient him anymore than necessary, didn't want him to get himself into anymore trouble than necessary, so he'd have to remain in control for a little while yet. He held out his hand to Noah.

"Thank you for the match."

Noah glared at him with fire and venom, arms stubbornly crossed. Seth lowered his hand and shrugged, then nodded politely to Roland before putting his hands in his pockets and walking to the elevator. Tonight, while Seto slept, he would plant some false memories of the chess game in Seto's mind. He knew that he needed to ease his hikari into this arrangement; he'd already been through so much, he didn't need anything else upsetting him.

* * *

When Seto came to himself again, it was to find himself at Ryou's house picking up Mokuba. He felt somewhat dazed, only speaking when spoken to as he was preoccupied with trying to recall what had just happened. Well, it was almost one in the morning, so he was getting Mokuba—who was asleep—from the Bakura household. That meant that he was done with "work" for the night. He could remember seeing his clients, he could remember collecting payment, he could remember making his weekly payment to the pimp. Yet, he felt like there was a hole in the sequence of events. What had he done when he finished with his last client? He could only draw a blank. He racked his brains for the missing memory as he carried his sleeping brother home, starting to worry that perhaps his last client had drugged him, or that perhaps something far more sinister had happened between the last thing he remembered and finding himself at Ryou's house. He was too exhausted to stay awake worrying over it, though, and he went to bed as soon as he got home, falling into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Fun-Facts: "Don't screw this up!" is something that Seto Kaiba says to Yugi/Yami at least once in the main series anime; in the manga, Seto Kaiba tells Yugi/Yami during the Battle City finals that he was "abused in the name of education." Christian Seto Rosenkreuz is from the "Duelist of the Roses" videogame. Kaibaman is a Duel Monsters card from Yu-Gi-Oh: GX. Legendary Knight/Dragon Critias is from the end of Yu-Gi-Oh Season Four. All of the moves inside the chess game are complete bollocks, but the checkmate is legit.

(I kind of just imagine the Seto Kaiba chess piece looking up at Seth and being like, "Pft, I haven't worn _that_ since Duelist Kingdom.")

What was your favorite moment? Did something surprise you? Post it in your review! I was kind of nervous about this chapter, so please let me know what you think of it! Remember, _**more reviews = more chapters**_ , so keep reviewing! Lots of love to my dedicated readers/reviewers!


	12. S0: Stand

**WARNING:** This chapter is a little more intense with the violence than previous ones, mostly because this has the first full scene with the _loathsome_ Gozaburo Kaiba. I hate him. -_- You have been warned!

* * *

The next morning, Seto found that he was able to recall that missing chunk of memory: he'd gone to KaibaCorp and faced Noah in chess, trouncing him soundly and taking the Blue-Eyes as his own. Seto reached for his coat, which he'd been too tired to put anywhere but on the floor last night, and pulled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card out of the inner pocket. He could hardly believe it. It brought a full, warm smile to his face like nothing else had in a long time.

At school on Monday, his friends were eager to hear if he'd won his chess match; honestly, Seto hadn't expected them to remember. He'd just assumed they would have forgotten something so trivial. He told them that yes, he had won, and even showed them the set-up of the checkmate, to which his friends had responded with such praise as, "We always knew you would win," and, "Nobody's better than you at chess." Again, Seto didn't know how to respond to such praise.

Rather than tell them outright what he'd won, he'd told them that it was a Duel Monsters card, and that the only way they would see it would be if it came up in his deck during a duel. He'd alternated between dueling Yugi and Joey and Ryou at lunch and after school each day that week, and the Blue-Eyes card had yet to come up. Of course, it didn't help that Seto usually beat Joey fairly quickly, and that every time he dueled Yugi, they ran out of time and couldn't complete the duel.

Ryou was possibly the most difficult Seto faced, actually. His Destiny Board strategy was deadly, and Seto wasn't always able to pull himself out of it each time Ryou employed it. For the first time that he could think of, he almost felt normal. He wasn't fully normal, of course, because he was still dragging himself to school a half hour before classes so that he could work on coding his computer program at the school library, since he lacked a computer of his own. But this was the closest he'd ever gotten to being consistently happy for more than a day at a time, and he didn't want to waste a single moment of it.

Of course, things didn't truly change for him. There still remained the fact that he now realized he was identical to Gozaburo's son, which made the fact that Gozaburo had requested someone that looked so specifically like him so incredibly disturbing. He wasn't going to cater to that sadist anymore, he decided. He was done. It was high time that he stood up for himself.

* * *

"You disgust me," Seto said as he entered Gozaburo's office that Thursday night.

"What did you just say to me?" Gozaburo turned on him, looking dangerous and violent. Then again, he always looked that way in Seto's eyes.

"You're a pervert. I know you're the one who requested somebody with my coloring, but I didn't realize before that I looked exactly like your son!" Seto couldn't stand this anymore. No amount of money could justify the amount of abuse he suffered at this monster's hands.

"You will get on your hands and knees like the dog you are this very moment, or so help me, I'll beat you within an inch of your life." Gozaburo's voice was cold and cruel, and the fact that he spoke in a low whisper rather than a loud shout sent a chill down Seto's spine. Even so, he stood his ground.

"I'm not doing this anymore." He uncrossed his arms as he turned to walk away, only to have the door be dead-bolted on him as he reached it. He turned around to glare at Gozaburo, who smugly held the fancy remote control for the myriad of features in his office that responded to it.

"I have a bone to pick with you, Mutt," Gozaburo growled. "You've turned my own son against me. Did you really think you could get away with that?"

"What are you talking about?" Seto was genuinely perplexed, now. What could he possibly be referring to.

"Ever since you beat him in that chess match, he's changed." Gozaburo walked across the room to his liquor cabinet and opened it, then opened the hidden compartment that held the things he used in his sessions with Seto—mostly various forms of torture. "He's already started accumulating shares of KaibaCorp stock. He's trying to challenge me, trying to take my company from me." He turned around with something in his hands that Seto had never seen before: it was a whip, but not like any other Gozaburo had previously used. "What did you say to him to make him turn against me?"

"I didn't say anything to him about you," Seto answered honestly, slipping off his coat, not because he intended to submit, but because he planned on fighting back and didn't want to be inhibited by it. "If you can't raise your own son properly, that's not my fault." It was a dumb move on his part to goad the man who looked just about ready to whip him into next week, but Seto figured that Gozaburo was so far gone at this point it didn't even matter. The older stepped forward a few paces, but Seto remained where he was.

"You'll regret those words!" The KaibaCorp president held the long whip by its handle, lifting it and striking at Seto with a rapid motion, but Seto caught the length of the whip in his hand. Something sharp was digging into his palm, making his hand bleed, but he didn't let go.

"It's over, Gozaburo. I'm leaving and I'm not coming back."

Gozaburo started to laugh at Seto's words, sounding genuinely crazy.

"You have a little brother, don't you?" He said, shocking Seto out of his own anger and making his eyes grow wide.

"How did you…?"

"It doesn't matter how I know," Gozaburo said dismissively. "What matters is that I'm able and willing to kidnap him and turn him into a servant in my household if I so choose—or if you don't cooperate." He grinned in a way that made Seto feel sick, the fire of rebellion dying quickly in the teen's heart. He should have known better than to think that he could rid himself of this demon so easily.

"You wouldn't—" he protested weakly, unable to comprehend the depravity of this man's mind.

"Oh yes I would, and I'm not in a very good mood right now, which means that it wouldn't take very much at all for me to lose my temper and send one of my men to go out and fetch him for me. So you might want to start obeying me. Let go." Seto let go, several heavy droplets of blood falling to the floor. "Now strip, or you'll never see your little brother again."

Seto didn't have any choice but to obey, and Seth groaned inwardly. He'd been proud of Seto for standing up to this horrible man, convinced that he would rescue himself from the worst part of his "profession." He hadn't counted on Gozaburo going to such extremes. He also hadn't realized that their Shadow Game had affected the Kaiba heir to such a degree. He truly felt guilty that Seto was going to suffer on his account. He would step in if he could, but once again, Seto had put the Millennium Rod aside with his coat and he simply stood too far away for Seth to exert much influence over him.

He was too far to exert much influence, true, but there were still times when the teen was close enough that Seth could steal some of his pain and ease his suffering. Seth may not have been with Seto for very long, but even he could see that this was an unusually brutal session for the two of them. This wasn't just sex, it was rape. This wasn't just a kink, this was torture. Seth found himself revolted and angered to the point where he could hardly stand to wait for the moment that he was able to do something about this.

His heart wrenched with pity as Seto lay on the floor, an awful bloody mess. He couldn't move; all Seto wanted to do was fall sleep so that he could wake up from this nightmare.

"Get out, you dog," Gozaburo grumbled as he gave the teen one last kick. Tonight, he didn't offer any payment. "I expect to see you here tomorrow night at the same time so that I can finish punishing you." With that, he turned away and started to light himself a cigar. This wouldn't be the first time that he needed to clean bloodstains off the floor of his office, so he had no concerns about how he was going to remove the mess.

Seto let out a low groan as he made an attempt to move, weakly reaching for his clothes with one trembling arm. The process of dressing was slow, and his dark clothes were quickly absorbing the blood from his skin. As he moved closer to his coat, Seth stole more and more of his pain and bore the burden of it himself. As he did so, Seto was able to move with less pain. As his fingers wrapped around the scepter, Seth rushed into him, putting Seto's soul in a peaceful state of sleep to free him from this nightmare while Seth took care of things.

Seth seized Seto's coat in his left hand and stood, facing Gozaburo with an almost murderous look in his eyes. He aimed the Millennium Rod at Mr. Kaiba, who had just then turned around to make sure that Seto was really on his way out.

 _"Mind crush!"_ he shouted.

Gozaburo screamed in agony as the demons in his heart that had stripped him of his humanity proceeded to torture his own mind with the same pain he'd inflicted upon Seto, making him feel wounds his body lacked. He fell to his knees, hands clutching his head as his cigar fell from his fingers to the floor. Seth went to his desk, pocketed the envelope of cash that he should have given to Seto, turned around, and left without looking back. He rarely used the Mind Crush, wary of reaching a point where he could use it without hesitation or remorse. Gozaburo Kaiba, however, was truly a monster that needed to suffer for his crimes. He needed to be stopped.

Seth stumbled to the elevator and pushed the correct button, only knowing how to operate it because he'd seen Seto do so before. He needed to get to Ryou's house. Ryou was Seto's friend, and his father had begun to try and intervene in Seto's life. Seth knew that Mr. Bakura's intentions were good and his heart pure. He trusted him, even if Seto didn't trust him yet. He exited the office building and stepped out into the rain, still clutching the coat at his side. Seto loved that coat, as silly as it sounded, and Seth wasn't willing to let it be tainted with bloodstains. He limped the long journey to the Bakura home, knowing that Seto needed medical attention immediately and that he wouldn't be able to get there on his own. He made it all the way to the front steps and knocked on the front door. He gave Seto his body back just as Ryou opened the door. The teen let out a cry of surprise as he rushed forward to catch Seto as he fainted.

"Dad!" he called, unsure of what to do or what was going on. He'd seen blood on Seto's face before the taller teen tipped forward. Was he hurt? He must be. He'd get sick if he stayed in those soaked clothes. His father was at his side in a matter of seconds, and Ryou was grateful that Mokuba had fallen asleep on the couch again. He wouldn't have wanted the child to see his brother like this.

"Go get your mother, Ryou," he ordered as he took Seto into his own arms. "Tell her it's an emergency." His son nodded and dashed off to do as he was told. Bakura lifted Seto carefully, closing the front door once he had the brunette inside. They had one guest bedroom, on the ground floor, and Bakura chose to carry him to the adjacent bathroom. There was no way that he would let the poor boy go home in a state like this, especially when his home wasn't even a place that he felt safe. Once he'd gently laid Seto on the floor, he took the coat from his still-clenched hand and hung it over the shower curtain rod. That done, he noticed that the Millennium Rod was on his person as well. He removed it carefully and set it on the bathroom sink, then set about unbuttoning Seto's shirt. He'd just finished doing so when his wife entered bearing a first aid kit. He could see Ryou and Marik behind her, looking worried and tired.

"You two can go to bed. We'll take care of things here," he assured. Ryou nodded and led Marik back upstairs, but he was unable to hide how upset he was. He came to a stop in the hallway, and Marik stayed with him. Ryou's eyes watered as a wave of sorrow swept over him, Marik stepping closer to wrap his arms around Ryou to comfort him. The two of them had gotten quite close in the short time that they'd spent together, and add to that the fact that Marik was still unacquainted with most social norms, and Ryou found himself in possession of the perfect best friend. Ryou loved hugs, and Marik was generous with affectionate physical contact like nobody else Ryou knew.

"Why didn't he tell me that he was in trouble?" Ryou whispered as he hugged Marik tightly, resting his chin on Marik's shoulder as he tried not to cry. "He knows that he can trust me." Ever since the Spirit of the Millennium Ring had established itself as a permanent presence in Ryou's mind, he'd discovered that he could not only understand Marik's hieratic Egyptian, but he could speak it as well. This made communication between them much easier, so Ryou was speaking in hieratic Egyptian now.

"Some secrets are too terrible to say out loud," Marik sighed, rubbing Ryou's back comfortingly. He knew from experience that when somebody hurt you repeatedly, it made you feel ashamed and bitter, and the last thing you wanted to do was talk about it.

"I just wish I could do something to help," Ryou murmured, blinking away the tears he'd almost shed. He was finally starting to calm down, and Marik released him gently,holding both of his hands in his own for a moment.

"There may be something that I can do. Go, sleep, and I'll join you soon." He gave Ryou's hands a squeeze before they parted. Marik had begun to join Ryou in bed at night; the poor "yadonushi" was terrified that the Spirit might possess him in the middle of the night and do something terrible, and if Marik was there, not only did he _feel_ calmer and safer, but there had been an instance when Marik's knowledge of the Millennium Items and the ancient scriptures had allowed him to stop the Evil Spirit from sneaking out through the window to do gods only knew what.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Mrs. Bakura gasped as she examined Seto's back, horrified.

"I don't know, Miya, he won't tell me." Bakura sighed as he held Seto propped against his own shoulder and his wife began to clean the terrible wounds that covered his young body. "They weren't like this at all last week."

"Kenji, we need to get him to talk. There's no way I'm letting him out of this house if there's even the slightest possibility of this happening to him again." Miya spoke with the fierce protectiveness of a mother, even though Seto wasn't her own child. He didn't have a mother of his own to look out for him anymore, so it couldn't possibly do him any harm for her to step in as a surrogate, if only for a brief time.

"Well, I doubt he's going to say much of anything tonight," Kenji Bakura responded, glancing at the brunette's face. "Wait, I think he might be waking up. Seto, can you hear me?"

Seto's bright blue eyes blinked open slowly. "Where am I?"

"You're at Ryou's house," he answered quietly.

"How did I get here?" He seemed even more disoriented than Kenji had anticipated.

"You walked here, but you passed out when Ryou opened the door."

"Who's touching me?" he asked, suddenly aware of the fact that he was being touched by more than one person. He instantly tensed, looking like he would try to free himself and scramble away from the touch if only he was physically capable of doing so.

"Don't worry, it's only my wife. She's a trained nurse, she's just taking care of your wounds. Nobody here is going to hurt you." He spoke calmly and slowly, hoping that Seto would just relax, but he remained tense and nervous.

"I don't like people touching me," he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes again as he allowed Mr. Bakura to support his weight. He may be tense, but he was also tired, and his body was even more inclined to sleep now that it was injured and needed to heal. The process of tending to his injuries was slow, especially because he stubbornly refused to allow them to remove anything more than his shirt, even though it was obvious that he had more injuries that needed tending. Neither of them tried to push him on that; however, Miya had gotten Seto to promise that he'd let her take him to a doctor tomorrow so that he could be properly taken care of.

"You're going to stay for the night. There's no point in sending you home when you're already here. I'll bring Mokuba in here to join you, since the bed's more than big enough for the two of you. Meanwhile, Kenji, can you get him some clothes to sleep in?"

Mr. Bakura, who'd been packing up the first-aid kit, nodded and left, bumping into Marik as he left the bedroom.

"How long have you been waiting out here?" he asked in surprise, but the Egyptian didn't seem flustered at all.

"I can help," he said in Arabic.

"Sleep is the best thing for Seto now," Mr. Bakura said gently, not knowing what Marik was trying to offer, but knowing that it was too late at night for any of them to still be awake.

"He has the Millennium Rod with him, yes?" Marik asked, ignoring the archaeologist's words.

"Yes, he does."

"Put it close by him when he sleeps. He will heal faster," Marik insisted, looking so convicted of the truth of his own words that Kenji believed him.

When Seto was finally asleep in their guest room, Mokuba curled up against him, the Millennium Rod was on the nightstand, by his head. Seth felt rather satisfied with how things had gone once he'd gotten Seto to the Bakura household. Finally, Seto was getting some proper help and some proper sleep.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Angstshipping (Ryou x Marik) may prove to be unavoidably inevitable in this story; I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep it platonic. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! What was your favorite moment? Did something surprise you? What do you think will happen next?! Please review, because more reviews = more chapters! Btw, my chapters seem to be getting longer… Does anybody know what's up with that? ;P


	13. S0: Rest

Seto dreamed again that night, but, thankfully it wasn't a nightmare, although he'd half expected to relive his time with Gozaburo. It had been more violent and painful than anything he'd experienced previously, which made it hard to get out of his mind. His dream was the same as the one he'd had when he first received the Millennium Rod and passed out. Warm arms wrapped around him in a comforting darkness, and he struggled against the stranger just as he had last time.

 _Hush, my child. Let me heal you._

"I'm not your child," he protested, although his words sounded more sleepy than sour.

 _You are more precious to me than if you were my child._

"Why?" Seto asked, confused, finally relaxing against the arms that were too strong for him to resist. "Who _are_ you?"

 _You will know soon enough, my son._

"I'm not your son." He meant to snap at the disembodied, paternal voice, but he just sounded like a drowzy, moody child. He tried to force his eyes open, but the warm energy flowing through him from those strong arms was acting like a sedative, gently forcing him into a state of total relaxation whether he wanted it or not.

 _Close enough, little one. Close enough._

* * *

When Seto opened his eyes the next morning, he felt oddly comfortable. His mattress wasn't this nice. He opened his eyes, and jerked awake immediately. It was too bright in here. He was late. He needed to get to school. He tried to sit up, but let out a groan of pain and sank back onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow as he braced himself to try again.

"Good morning, my pharaoh."

The voice startled Seto, and he forced himself up despite the pain to see who had spoken. There sat Marik, cross-legged on the floor just inside the doorway.

"How long have you been watching me sleep?" he asked, feeling like his privacy had been violated.

"Less than an hour," Marik answered after a moment's thought. He was still adjusting to the modern measure of time.

"Where's Mokuba?" he asked suddenly, becoming aware of his little brother's absence.

"School," the Egyptian answered, watching Seto carefully with those unnerving lavender eyes of his. Seto let out a sigh of relief and sat up slowly, testing the state of his body after last night's abuse. He ached all over, but he could still move, and he didn't feel like any of the wounds had reopened, which was another good sign.

"Why did you call me pharaoh?" he asked, unable to deny his suspicious nature as he questioned the stranger. Marik grinned, looking pleased with himself.

"You don't ask why you understood an ancient language?" he returned cheekily, making Seto freeze in the process of stretching his arms. He realized now that, yes, while he'd clearly understood Marik's words as if they were spoken in his native tongue, the language itself wasn't anything he'd ever heard before. Marik smiled with a look of satisfaction. He stood and slipped out of the room, and Seto relaxed a little. He couldn't focus when those unnerving eyes were watching him so carefully.

"Knock knock," Mrs. Bakura said softly as she rapped on the door with her knuckles, opening it slightly as she pushed the door open a bit. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Thank you for letting me stay the night," he said politely. His expression of gratitude sounded inadequate even to his own ears, but he didn't know how to phrase it any better.

"Well, I wasn't about to let you go home in the state you were in," she said gently, her eyes filled with sadness and pity. Seto had grown to resent all pity; pity was something you expressed in response to someone who was weak. He wasn't weak, and he didn't want to be seen as weak. "I called a friend of mine, a pediatrician. He said he could see you today."

Seto stiffened and looked away. He'd forgotten that he'd promised to see a doctor today. She entered the room slowly and sat next to him on the bed, careful not to make any sudden movements. His behavior last night reminded her of the behavior exhibited by the rare abuse cases that turned up at the children's hospital where she worked. She didn't want to startle him.

"We want to help you, Seto. We're doing this for your own good." She couldn't help but look at him and consider what she'd do if he were her own son. She had a nurturing soul by nature, hence her chosen profession, and it pained her to see others suffer.

"I know," he answered quietly, looking down at his hands. She was feeling far too maternal not to run a hand through his shaggy brown hair and comment, "I think it's time for you to get a haircut." She brought his head close and kissed the top of his head before she released him and stood to leave. "I put your clothes from last night in the wash, I hope you don't mind. I brought something for you to wear in the meantime."—she gestured to a pile of folded clothes on the nightstand—"Once you're done getting cleaned up, you can come out to the kitchen and I'll have breakfast ready for you."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, almost softening at her maternal affection. He took her advice and took a quick shower, dressing in the borrowed clothes afterward. Judging by the style and size, they were borrowed from her husband, not her son, which made sense given that Seto was a good five inches taller than Ryou and his limbs were proportionally longer.

He enjoyed breakfast, offering to do the dishes afterward saying it was "the least he could do." He washed them, dried them, put them away, all because he was putting off the doctor's visit for as long as possible. Eventually, though, the time came for him to give in and go with her to the doctor, leaving Marik behind to puzzle over a set of books that were helping him learn to read Japanese.

* * *

That morning, Ryou took Mokuba and Amane to school feeling apprehensive. The events of last night were still eating away at the back of his mind, making it difficult for him to focus on classes.

By lunch time, his friends had grown to be quite worried about Seto's absence.

"He hasn't missed a day of school for as long as I can remember," Yugi said worriedly as they ate. They'd met in a classroom out of habit, perhaps subconsciously hoping that Seto would just show up.

"Hey, Ryou, do you know what's wrong with him?" Joey asked. "I mean, you look after his brother, right? So you would know."

"Uh, yeah, he's… sick," Ryou answered evasively.

"With what?" Anzu asked.

"I'm not sure, but when he showed up last night to pick up Mokuba, he looked pretty bad off."

"How bad?" Yugi asked.

"Uh, pretty bad," Ryou answered, wondering how much he ought to say when he didn't even know the full story. "He kind of… collapsed on the front step."

"Oh no!"

"Ouch."

"My parents didn't think it was a good idea to send him home like that, so he stayed at our house last night."

"I guess it's a good thing he didn't come to school, then, if it's that bad."

"Hey, I know what we should do! We should all go over and visit him after school to cheer him up! If that's alright with you, of course," Yugi said, deferring to Ryou.

"Of course it is. I'm sure he'd appreciate the company." Ryou wasn't sure, but he knew that having friends around would at least cheer Seto up and remind him that he didn't have to keep his troubles to himself.

"Cool! I can drive us over after school, I just have to pick up Serenity first."

"And Mokuba and Amane," Ryou added.

"Will you have enough room for all of us in your car?" Anzu asked as she counted up the number of people who'd have to fit into Joey's sports car in order for this to work out logistically.

"Of course! No problem," he answered, brushing off their concerns with a wave of his hand. "I've fit more people than that in my car before." Anzu and Yugi exchanged a glance, silently agreeing that they didn't want to hear the context of that event.

* * *

"How is he?" Mrs. Bakura asked as Dr. Nakamura left Seto alone in the examination room. His expression wasn't very reassuring. He summoned her with a gesture of his hand, and the two of them strolled down the hall together. "Did you get him to tell you what happened?"

"No need, the markers on his body were enough for me to figure it out." He glanced around, as if wary of who might overhear them. Or maybe he was just uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. "Are you familiar with the euphemism, 'the oldest profession?'" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes—Oh god no, you can't—" She glanced back in the direction of the room where Seto waited. "You don't mean to tell me—?"

"Unfortunately, yes, all the physiological and behavioral signs are there. It's the only thing that makes sense. Either that, or he's the most stubborn and shy domestic abuse victim I've ever seen." Miya winced at that. "I'm sorry, but it's true. It's too bad; he seems like a good kid."

"He is," she replied quietly. "So, what specifically caused his injuries?"

"They looked like whip-marks, but they were made by a whip like nothing I've ever seen. It must have had pieces of barbed wire embedded in the length." She winced again. "And the older wounds showed clear, long-term abuse. I would say he's been doing this for several months, give or take a month or two. It's also worth mentioning that he's slightly underweight." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried not to think what he endured most nights.

"How can we help him?"

"Well, the first thing you can do is get him out of it, but that's usually the hardest part. What do you know about his family?"

"His mother is deceased, his father is an unemployed alcoholic, and he has a little brother that means the world to him."

"Then it's entirely possible that he simply ran out of options. The economy's not what it used to be, after all. Getting hired is harder. And with himself and a little brother to take care of, he would do anything he could to provide. It's as simple as that. I've seen it before a few times at the charity clinic. I don't usually see those kids get a chance to get out, but _y_ _ou_ can give him that chance." Dr. Nakamura turned to face Miya at that moment. "What he needs more than anything else is _time_. Time to let his body heal, time to feel like a normal teenager again. He's strong. He can move past this and still make something of his life, but he needs to get out of this… profession as soon as possible. Turning back to his injuries, the attack last night was a deviation from prior events. He sustained injuries unlike anything he'd previously received, which suggests that something changed."

"Something changed? Like what?"

"You'd have to ask him yourself," the doctor answered. "I'm no psychologist, but I would say that he probably won't want to talk about any of it for quite a while. Are you sure those injuries happened yesterday evening?"

"Quite certain, they were fresh when he got to our house last night. Why do you ask?"

"The degree to which they've healed is impressive considering they occurred less than twelve hours ago, that's all. It could just be that his body has adapted to heal faster as it's become accustomed to constant abuse. It's not very scientific, but I wouldn't be surprised. Stranger things have happened."

When Mrs. Bakura went in to talk to Seto he wouldn't look at her. She sat next to him as she had that morning and gently put an arm around his shoulder. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, neither knowing what to say.

"Joey's the the only other person who knows," he said at last. "I trust you and your husband to keep this to yourselves."

"We should tell the authorities—"

"No," he interrupted, which was out of character for him. "They threatened to hurt Mokuba if I didn't cooperate, and if they found out that I talked to the police…" He trailed off, and Miya suddenly understood why he'd continued doing this for so long.

"I won't tell anybody but my husband," she promised. "And I'll reiterate to him your request for discretion. He could probably get you some kind of internship at the university where he's working on his doctoral thesis. What are you good at?"

"Computers," he answered automatically, and she smiled.

"Good, then you can help those archaeologists with data entry and cataloging. It's not surprising that they tend to be bad with technology when they spend so much time playing with old rocks."

Seto actually managed to smile at that joke.

* * *

"Seto!" Mokuba cried as he ran forward and tackled his brother. "You're okay!" His brother let out a grunt as Mokuba landed on his back, his arms latching around Seto's neck as he embraced his brother warmly. "When Ryou said that you were sick, I was worried about you."

"Don't worry about me, kiddo. How was school?" He reached a hand up to ruffle his brother's hair without looking up from what he was doing.

"It was good. What are you doing?"

"I'm teaching Marik how to play chess," Seto answered, moving his bishop across the board as Marik frowned and stared at it. "Bishop to C4."

"Hey Seto!" Joey's enthusiastic voice barely penetrated Seto's focus on the game.

"We were worried about you when you didn't show up at school," Yugi said, coming up to the couch to sit beside Seto with Anzu following like a puppy.

"I'm fine, I was just low on sleep."

"I thought you were sick?" Anzu asked, a little suspicious.

"Exhaustion sickness," Seto lied easily, wincing inwardly. When had lying become so easy for him? The response seemed to satisfy Anzu, though.

"Can I get anybody something to drink?" Ryou offered, stepping into the kitchen as he kept an eye on their younger siblings. Serenity seemed to be getting along well enough with Amane, even though she didn't know sign language.

"Water's good, thanks," Yugi answered, and the others nodded in agreement. Seto suppressed a groan of pain as Mokuba shifted on his back.

"Knight to H6," Marik said hesitantly as he moved the piece, then sat back, staring at the board with a furrowed brow.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met before," Anzu said, stepping up to Marik and introducing herself. "My name is Anzu, this is Yugi, the impulsive knucklehead hanging on the back of the couch is Joey, and that's his little sister Serenity." Marik blinked up at her, smiling amiably but looking vaguely confused.

"Queen to F3," Seto said, moving the piece as he started to smile to himself.

"My name is Marik," he answered, holding out a hand to shake Anzu's offered one. "You must forgive me, I am still learning the language." He turned his attention back to the chess game so that he didn't keep Seto waiting. "Pawn to C5."

"Where are you from?" Yugi asked curiously, at which point Marik turned his head and noticed the Millennium Puzzle for the first time. Ryou hadn't mentioned it before.

"Queen to F7. Checkmate." Seto moved his piece and held out a hand to Marik. "Good game for your first try." Marik shook Seto's hand, looking confused.

"How did you…?" Joey didn't understand how Seto could win a game so quickly.

"It's called the four-move mate. It's pretty easy to use against mediocre or beginner players, because they don't know any better." Joey let out a low whistle, impressed.

"That's pretty harsh," he said.

"I am from Egypt."

"Not really," Seto said casually in response to Joey as he reset the board, Mokuba finally releasing him and sliding off his back. Mokuba wasn't much entertained by chess, so he went to join the other kids his age, much to Seto's relief. He loved his brother, of course, but it hurt to have Mokuba hanging on him like that. "There are ways to reach a checkmate in just two moves."

"Egypt? Wow! How come you're in Japan, then?"

"Joey!" Anzu glared at the blond for his tactless question as Ryou came back to the living area with the water glasses. "You can't just ask somebody why they're here!" She and Joey started to bicker about polite social conventions, then Marik turned to Yugi and said something in old Egyptian.

"I beg your pardon?" the diminutive teenager replied, looking confused. He didn't understand the ancient language, unlike Ryou and Seto, who'd inherited their knowledge of it from the spirits in their Millennium Items.

"Your pendant." He pointed at it. "The Millennium Puzzle, yes?"

"Yes, it is. How did you know that?" Yugi answered, his hand going to his Puzzle instinctively. Marik's face took on a thoughtful expression, as if he were struggling to put the words together to express himself.

"It's complicated," Ryou answered on his behalf. Marik glanced at him gratefully and nodded. "Hey, now that we're all here, I can show you my diorama!"

"Diorama?" Joey repeated, looking confused.

"Yeah, for the Monster World game. You know it, Yugi." Ryo turned to his friend at that moment, who nodded in confirmation. "I've finished making my own custom game-board for it, and since we're all here, we should play it! It's something we can all do together." The general consensus was an affirmation, but Mokuba spoke up then.

"Seto has to work soon, don't you Big Brother?" Normally, Mokuba would be right, but Seto knew that wouldn't ever be happening again, not like it had been. He looked over his shoulder at the raven-haired child and smiled softly.

"Not today, kiddo. I'm all yours today." Mokuba beamed upon hearing those words, and left his friends for a moment to give his brother a brief hug.

"You kids be good while we're downstairs," Ryou said as he signed to his sister, who nodded in acknowledgment. Ryou led them down to the basement, which contained the extensive game-room he and his father had put together whenever Mr. Bakura wasn't away on business.

"What kind of game is Monster World?" Anzu asked curiously.

"It's a role-playing game."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Maybe I've been listening to too much "Hamilton" lately, because I quoted it again in this chapter. :P I think I might make a little game of this, seeing how many "Hamilton" songs I can seamlessly quote/reference in the story. Whoever catches all the references will get the glorious reward of Internet brownies!

The chess game this time is legit. There are actually several ways to reach checkmate in just a few moves if your opponent is unwary enough. ;)

And why does Seto always sound like a Carolina homeboy when talking to Ryou's parents? I don't even know! XD Great, now I'm picturing Seto Kaiba as a cowboy… Somebody _PLEASE_ make fan-art of that!

What was your favorite moment in this chapter? Do you think you caught all the various references and quotes I made this time around? Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_


	14. S0: Monsters

"Ryou!"

"Is he okay?"

"Hey man, wake up!"

Once the five friends had awoken from their strange Shadow Game, their first concern was to make sure that Ryou was indeed alright. He'd sacrificed his very soul in order to save them, and for a few minutes there, he'd been dead, actually dead. If the White Mage hadn't sacrificed himself to save, Seto didn't know what they would have done. How on earth would they explain that to Ryou's parents?

"Look!" Anzu pointed as the cord holding the Millennium Ring around Ryou's neck severed of its own accord, the artifact falling to the ground with the sound of clinking metal. Marik had his arm around Ryou's shoulders as the teen stirred and opened his eyes, sitting up with a look of confusion only to have Marik pull him upright so that he could hug him tightly. With cries of joy, the others piled on in a group hug, except for Seto, who merely pat Ryou on the head awkwardly. Ryou didn't seem to mind, though, since he grinned at Seto as warmly as he did the others.

"How's your hand?" Seto asked, and in doing so, reminded the others that Ryou's left hand had been impaled on one of the turrets of Castle Zorc. Ryou was quickly released and ushered upstairs by a fretful Anzu and an affectionate Marik. Seto pulled out the Millennium Rod and looked down at it. He had so many questions for the spirit who had identified himself as Seth and played the game beside Yami against the Spirit of the Millennium Ring.

"Man, how come I don't get any magical doo-dads?" Joey pouted with crossed arms.

"Trust me, Joey, you don't want one," Seto answered sourly, putting it away and noticing that Yugi was holding the Millennium Puzzle and staring at it in a similar manner.

"Didn't it seem like your spirit knew mine?" he asked, looking up at Seto with his large, innocent eyes. "I wonder if they were friends in ancient Egypt long ago."

"But didn't they both identify themselves as pharaohs?" Seto pointed out skeptically. "It seems more likely to me that they were rivals of some sort."

"Well, they could still have been friends," Yugi pointed out. "I'll have to ask Yami about it."

"It also seemed like Ryou's spirit knew ours from long ago, for that matter, and _he_ was incredibly dangerous. How do we know that Yami and Seth aren't just as dangerous as him?" Yugi thought carefully for a moment before answering.

"Just because they are dangerous, that doesn't mean that they are evil," he said slowly, looking to Joey for confirmation, who nodded. "After all, I would say that _you're_ dangerous, Seto, but you're also good." Seto scowled at that.

"Don't you think it a little strange that Yami can't remember his own name? Wouldn't he be able to remember his name if he could remember anything else?" Yugi's forehead wrinkled with thought as he considered Seto's words. Unlike the violet-eyed teen, Seto was not optimistic about this arrangement. He didn't like the idea of a spirit being able to take control of him, talk to him, and exercise magical powers. While Yugi felt like he'd been given a purpose in helping the lost, troubled spirit find peace, Seto felt like he'd been shackled with yet another burden, something else for him to stress and worry about, something more to complicate his life.

"Well, even if he can't remember, maybe Seth does, and he can help." Yugi's optimism was starting to grate on Seto's strained nerves. Their were too many things for him to deal with right now, and this was the last thing he needed.

"What makes you certain that they're good?" Seto pressed, unable to hide his irritation. "It's naive to think that the world is so easily divided into good and evil. It's much more complicated than that, and for your own sake, I hope you soon start to realize that." With that, he turned and left, going upstairs to check on Ryou and Mokuba as Yugi watched him sadly.

"I've got a feeling," he said to Joey contemplatively. "That he's already seen far too much evil in the world if he thinks like that at this age."

"You have no idea," the blond responded with a sigh.

"What do you mean?"

Joey started, realizing that he'd said allowed what he'd meant to keep to himself. "What? Me? I didn't say anything. Don't worry about it," he said hurriedly, trying to cover his blunder. "Come on, let's go join the others." Yugi picked up the Millennium Ring before following Joey upstairs.

* * *

"What happened to your hand?" Mokuba asked in horror when he saw the bloody tissues pressed to Ryou's hand. He laughed nervously, not sure how to answer.

"Just an accident," Marik said smoothly, patting Mokuba on the head in an attempt to calm the child. Anzu was getting the first aid kit—she'd insisted on being the one to bandage Ryou's hand, since, as a certified life-guard, she actually had first-aid training. Amane watched her brother with wide eyes, and Ryou would have signed something reassuring to her if he could have.

"Mokuba, can you please tell my sister that we just had an accident downstairs and that my hand will be fine?" Ryou requested, not wanting his sister to be distressed. Mokuba nodded and complied, and Amane looked slightly less upset once Mokuba told her what was going, but only slightly.

"Why don't the three of you get some popsicles from the freezer?" Ryou suggested, addressing Serenity as well this time. Joey's little sister was quite a contrast from her brother, for she was almost as silent as Amane, although that might have just been because she was upset by the sight of blood. Mokuba grinned immediately and thanked Ryou before passing on the message to Amane, who led her companions over to the freezer. Ryou let out a sigh, wondering how long a sugar bribe would continue to work on them. Marik put his arm around Ryou's shoulders again and gave them a squeeze.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, wondering if Ryou was still protected by the numb of shock, or if the weight of what had just happened downstairs had started to sink in yet.

"I-I don't even know," Ryou answered shakily, allowing himself to lean against Marik's side for a moment. "I'm mostly just shaken up by the whole thing. I mean, I completely lost control. Not only that, but he was able to _pretend_ to be me somewhat convincingly for a while. He tried to kill you all, and I couldn't do anything to stop it." Ryou was getting upset now, and Marik wished that he hadn't said anything. He put both arms around Ryou and shushed his friend as he started tearing up.

"I'll help you make sure that it never happens again," Marik whispered in Egyptian, not wanting to upset the younger children. "That's why I'm here: to help you through this."

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked as he blinked the tears from her eyes, confused.

"That's why Ishizu let me come to Japan. She knew that if you didn't have someone to help you handle the Spirit's possession, it would break you." Marik's words sent a shiver down Ryou's spine. "He is an evil force like nothing the world has seen for hundreds of years. Anybody would break if they had to endure this alone." They rested against each other for a few long moments in comfortable silence before Ryou straightened up and gave Marik a weak smile.

"Thank you," he murmured. The door leading to the basement stairs opened then, and Seto emerged, looking irked.

"How's your hand?" he asked Ryou, trying to act normal, as if they hadn't all just been inundated with Shadow Magic and engaged in a fight for their lives.

"It's almost stopped bleeding," he answered, trying to act normal. "Anzu said she was going to get the first-aid kit, but she'd been gone for a while now."

"Sorry!" Anzu said as she finally returned, blushing with embarrassment. "It took me a while to find it." She proceeded to tend to Ryou's hand, cleaning the wound and bandaging it as best she could.

"Where's Mokuba?" Seto asked, wanting to make sure that none of the magic downstairs had affected his little brother up here.

"He and Serenity and Amane are eating popsicles on the back porch," Ryou answered, and Seto nodded, not quite focused on Ryou himself at the moment. He felt tired, incredibly tired. Was that a side-effect of the Shadow Magic? There was no sure way to know. Yugi would probably tell him to ask Seth, but that was the last thing Seto wanted to do. He didn't trust the spirit. Trust was something that had to be earned, and Seth was no exception from that rule.

 _I can prove to you that I have already shown myself trustworthy_ , Seth's voice echoed in Seto's head, making the brunette feel even more frustrated. He couldn't even think without that invasive presence spying on him.

 _I'm sorry that you feel that way about me._ He sounded disgustingly sincere. _Perhaps we should have a face to face conversation to sort things out between us?_

"Seto, stop glaring at the wall." Ryou's voice was surprisingly light-hearted. "I doubt it ever did you any harm." His mild joke was enough to surprise Seto into a softer expression, almost a smile.

"Sorry," he sighed, but Ryou waved his good hand dismissively.

"No need to apologize. We all just went through quite an ordeal, so it makes sense that you'd be off-put by it."

Off-put? That was an incredible understatement. Seto felt violated; certainly Ryou of all people would feel the same way after his body had been hijacked by an evil spirit for the purpose of murdering his friends through some sick game where human lives were gambled as casually as cash. If Ryou started to talk about how the spirit could just be misunderstood or some crap like that, he thought he would scream.

"I'm going to go check on Mokuba," he said, walking out of the kitchen just as Joey and Yugi came upstairs. Yugi watched Seto's receding form sadly for a moment before turning his attention to Ryou's hand. Before he got a chance to ask about it, though, Anzu spoke up.

"Alright, there you go! That should be alright for now. If it starts to bleed again, I would suggest you see a real doctor about it, but you should be alright." She smiled at him before packing up the first aid kit. "You should probably tell you parents to refill this, by the way. It's running low on some things."

"Well, it looks like you're going to be alright," Yugi said, looking relieved. He put the Millennium Ring on the counter beside Ryou before sitting on the stool beside him. "That's good to hear."

"Yes, but… I don't know if Seto will be," Ryou said, looking worried. "I mean, I know he's got other things in his life that he has to deal with right now, and it can't be easy to have to handle this on top of all that." Joey caught his eye then, his coffee eyes intense and serious like Ryou had never seen them before. Their eyes met only for a moment, and that moment was long enough for Joey to realize that Ryou didn't know what he knew. He looked away, again, switching back to his usual careless, nonchalant manner.

"Other things?" Yugi repeated. "Like what? If he's struggling with something, he should know that he can come to us for help."

"Yeah, that's what friends are for after all," Anzu concurred, and Ryou began to regret his words.

"Look, I don't know what he's going through, but I know my parents are helping him with it, and I know that he doesn't like talking about his problems, so _please_ don't say anything to him about it," Ryou pleaded. "I shouldn't have said anything in the first place. I had no right to."

"Okay, okay, we won't say anything," Yugi assured. "So long as he _is_ getting help." Anzu still looked like she wanted to do something to help Seto, but she agreed with Yugi.

"Ryou's probably right, anyways," Joey commented casually. "His parents are probably better qualified to give life advice than we are, seeing as they have more experience with real life."

"Well, that's true," Anzu acknowledged. Joey's phone rang then, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Oh look, my parents have finally noticed that I'm not actually home," he said bitterly, pushing away from where he'd been leaning against the counter and answering the call as he walked towards the front door to take his phone call outside. Yugi sighed as he watched the blond leave.

"He doesn't have a great relationship with his parents," he explained. "They both work a lot, so they're not around much." Ryou just nodded and let out a sigh, leaning his head against Marik's shoulder as a wave of exhaustion swept over him.

"I'll go put this away," Anzu announced, picking up the first-aid kit and leaving with it.

"Do you think she'll still get lost this time?" Marik asked mischievously in Egyptian, making Ryou chuckle. Yugi looked at them both in confusion.

"How do you know that language so well?" he asked curiously.

"Hieratic Egyptian is Marik's first language," Ryou explained. "Because I am now the host to that… thing"—he shuddered as he pointed towards the Millennium Ring—"I've learned it too. Marik told me that Seto can speak and understand it as well, for the same reason. But, I guess, since your spirit seems to have lost his memories, he would have lost his language as well, simply speaking whatever language his host—you—knows."

"That makes sense," Yugi said after a moment. "But why is—"

"Alright, I have to get going," Joey said as he reentered the house. "My parents want me to get Serenity home now. Thanks for having us over, Ryou!"

"You're welcome! Although, I am sorry about, you know…" Ryou blushed as he mentioned the Shadow Game, but Joey just shrugged it off.

"Nah, forget about it! That wasn't your fault!" He disappeared to the back porch to fetch his sister, returning with her shortly. "Does anybody else need a ride home?"

"Oh, I do!" Anzu said as she returned.

"I do too, if it's no trouble," Yugi added.

"Not a problem!" Joey said cheerfully. He didn't mind taking his friends home, and if his parents got mad at him for taking so long to get home, then they would just have to deal with it.

The friends said their farewells and departed, leaving Marik, Ryou, Mokuba, Seto, and Amane home alone.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I know, I know, I didn't even narrate the infamous Monster World game played against Yami Bakura, but trying to write that story in a condensed manner with the altered timeline was driving me _psycho_ , so I skipped over it. I will include flashbacks to it so that you can still get direct peeks at what happened, and I might post it in my collection of deleted scenes. It went fairly canonically, just with Marik instead of Miho, Seto instead of Tristan, etc. The Monster World arc, for those of you who don't know it, is in Volume 7 of the manga and episodes 25-27 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero (a.k.a. the "first series anime" of Yu-Gi-Oh!).

What did you like about this chapter? What didn't you like? How much longer do you think Joey will be able to keep his (i.e. Seto's) secret a secret? Please tell me in a review, because **_more reviews = more chapters!_**


	15. S0: Cry

_"I am a thief and a stealer of souls, and I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. Now, I have the chance to acquire two more." He looked at the two sitting across the table from him. "That is, of course, assuming that you would like to continue the game and not forfeit, for if you were to forfeit the match, your friends' souls would become a permanent part of my collection. If you lose, however, your souls will become a part of my game as well, leaving your bodies comatose and your Millennium Items unguarded."_

Seto couldn't seem to shake the words of the Evil Spirit out of his mind. Zorc. Why did that name sound familiar? It shouldn't, since he'd never heard it before in his entire life. He could feel Seth stirring in the back of his mind—which was a disturbing sensation in and of itself—as the spirit wished to explain things to him.

 _I can tell you why—_

 _No!_ Seto shouted at him mentally. _That's enough out of you. You're just an auditory hallucination induced by stress. I shouldn't even be acknowledging you._

 _Denial doesn't change reality,_ Seth retorted gravely. _It doesn't matter how many times you tell those good people that you're fine, it doesn't change the fact that you're a mess._

 _Shut up!_ It was all Seto could do to refrain from speaking the words aloud, he thought them with such vehemence.

"Seto, are you alright?" Mokuba asked, making Seto look to his side where Mokuba also sat on the step. "You're really quiet, and you look kind of angry." Seto forced his face to relax, even though it was the least genuine expression he could have worn at the moment.

"Yes, I'm alright Mokuba. Don't worry about me," he answered smiling at his brother. Amane was on Mokuba's other side, and Seto only just now realized that they were holding hands as they neared the ends of their popsicles. The sight made Seto's anger ebb a bit, and it made his smile a bit more sincere, even as it saddened him. It reminded him that Mokuba was growing up, that he was nearing puberty, and that Seto was basically the only dependable father-figure Mokuba had.

It made Seto feel old to think about raising his brother as if he were his son. Even so, Seto's feelings for Mokuba were already more paternal than fraternal. He was growing up much too fast, both of them were. And Seto was already losing Mokuba to a girl. Seto didn't have the luxury of romance, and quite frankly, romance was the last thing on his mind these days. He'd lost all taste for such a thing not long after he'd been forced into his current line of "work." He was disillusioned with the entire idea of relationships and marriage and love. It was only those incredibly rare moments when he saw a couple that was just right for each other—like Ryou's parents—that made him doubt for just a moment his perspective. But when the moment passed, so did the doubt, and his cynicism was as strong as ever.

"You two should go inside and wash up," Seto said, noting that the children were finished with their frozen treats, but their hands and faces were all sticky with the melted syrup. They obeyed, and Seto stayed outside for a few more minutes, just watching the late afternoon sky turn orange and gold with the impending sunset.

 _Seth looked down at the game-board, his expression gentling as he made eye contact with Seto. "Hello, Seto."_

 _"You!" Seto said accusatorily. The voice was similar to his, but not the same. It was the voice from his dream, the one who had called him "child" and "son."_

 _"Yes, Seto, it's me. I suppose I owe you an explanation, but we have more pressing matters at hand." He looked up at their opponent, his eyes appraising the threat he truly posed to them._

 _"I still don't get it. Who are these people?" Anzu asked, looking perplexed._

 _"I think he's from the Millennium Puzzle," Yugi answered thoughtfully as he gazed up at his mirror self. "Ever since I solved it, every time I duel or game I feel like there's a voice guiding me."_

 _"So can we trust these guys?" Joey asked dubiously._

 _Seto stared up at his other self uncertainly, and he simply stared back, lifting one eyebrow at him._

 _"Well, Seto, do you trust me?"_

 _"I don't even know your name."_

 _"Seth." He tilted his head in a gesture that was both proud and archaic. "My name is Seth."_

Unbidden, memories from the Monster World game came to his mind, and Seto frowned to himself.

 _THAT wasn't a hallucination induced by stress, was it Seto?_ Seth sounded so smug it made Seto angry all over again.

 _Leave me alone!_ He yelled at the spirit. _Can't I just have one moment of peace and quiet? Is that really too much to ask for?!_ Seto rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands, closing his eyes as he willed the voice away. Instead of going away, though, Seth pulled Seto into a vision where they could talk face to face and have a proper discussion. It felt like they were standing in that same shadowy void where they'd met twice before, except this time, they could actually see each other.

"How did you—?!" Seto exclaimed, startled, turning a pair of mistrustful blue eyes on the ancient pharaoh. Only then did Seth realize that Seto was agitated enough by recent events that he might just lash out in violence against Seth if he was pushed even just a little bit.

"Our souls are joined inseparably, Seto," Seth answered smoothly, keeping his distance from the teen as he fought the urge to embrace his poor, damaged soul. "It is easy for us to meet in my soul room."

"I don't _want_ to be joined to you!" Seto shouted. "I've had enough of this, all of it! I'm _done_ with the Shadow Magic and the ancient spirits and the Millennium Items! I just want my life to go back to the way it was before!" His face was growing livid as he yelled at Seth, who stood like stone against the verbal assault.

"No you don't," he retorted quietly. "You hated your life the way it was before, and you hate your life now. It wouldn't make any difference to you if it were to change back, except now, with me here, we have a chance to make things better."

Seto was only enraged by Seth's cool, quiet words. "You don't know _anything_ about me!" He hadn't yet grasped and accepted the nature of their mind-link. He didn't understand that Seth knew _everything_ about him. "You don't know anything about my life or all the _shit_ that I've had to put up with!" He was screaming now, hands balled into fists at his sides as he stepped closer to Seth, so angry and upset that tears sprang to his eyes. "You don't have any idea what I've had to do just to survive!"

Seth reached out to Seto, his face tense as he restrained his own temper. Seto was just a scared child in pain, he reminded himself. He tried to embrace Seto, but the teen batted his arms away, screaming, "Don't _touch_ me! I'm sick of people touching me! I'm not a toy or a thing, I'm a person! I matter too…" As Seto choked himself with a sob, Seth finally managed to put his arms around him and pull him close.

"I just want to hold you, Seto. It's been so long since anybody's just held you," he whispered sadly. "Trust me, I understand how you feel."

"No, you don't," Seto protested, still blinded by a strong rage that had been growing in him for so long without an outlet or release. It was exploding from him now, the pressure too great for him to control it any longer. He battered his fists against Seth's chest, but the former pharaoh stoically withstood the attack. "Nobody understands what I've been through! Nobody understands what I do!" As sobs overtook him, his blows to Seth's chest grew weak and feeble until all he could do was cry as Seth caressed Seto's head tenderly and pulled him in close, tears falling down his own cheeks.

"It's okay to cry, Seto," he murmured. "It's alright to mourn when you've lost so much."

"I'm not crying!" Seto shouted stubbornly, even as his tears wet Seth's priestly robes. "I don't cry. I haven't cried since…"

"Since your mother died, I know, Seto. I know."

"You _don't_! You don't know…"

"Yes, I do, Seto. My father abandoned my mother and I when I was just a child." Seto's tears grew quieter, intrigued despite his grief. "My mother had to raise me alone. She did what she had to do to provide for me, just like you do what's necessary to provide for Mokuba." Seth swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. "She did _exactly_ what you do in order to provide for me so that I could rise up out of those circumstances and find something better. She died before she could see what I'd made of myself. So yes, I understand what it's like. I watched her pain and shame for years, feeling guilty because I knew that she was doing it for my sake. She died before I could even repay her for it." Seth hugged the teen tightly, as if he could erase his past and his pain with just a touch. Seto felt his arms burning into him, but he soon forced himself to relax and accept the hug, burying his face into Seth's shoulder, ashamed of his own tears. "I promise you, Seto, that you won't have to sell your body for one more night. Never again. I won't let anyone hurt you like that ever again." It was a comfort to simply hold each other and cry for a little while longer."Why did you call me 'son' before?" Seto at last asked in a whisper. "I'm not your son."

"Because you are a piece of my own soul, and that is what makes you more precious to me than my own child. Yet, you are descended from me, so you are still my child, in a sense. Would you be offended if I continued to call you 'son'?"

A pause, then a soft, muffled, "No, I wouldn't be offended."

Seth smiled.

* * *

As dusk drew on, Ryou decided to check on Seto. When he went to the back porch carrying two mugs of chamomile tea, he found Seto just sitting there, head in his hands. It was only when he was beside him that Ryou noticed that Seto had been crying. He set down one mug so that he could tap Seto on the shoulder, making the brunette jerk upright as he was pulled out of his reverie. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but Ryou smiled understandingly.

"It's okay to cry, Seto. You've been through a lot." He held out the mug of tea to his friend, who accepted it with unsteady hands. "I'm guessing you haven't cried in a long time."

Seto nodded, looking down into his tea.

"Marik lost his mother, too," Ryou said, taking a sip of his own tea before he continued. "She died when he was born, so he never knew her. He and his siblings were raised in a tomb underground. Their father was abusive and they were forbidden from leaving their home or ever going above ground. My father's expedition found them and freed them from their father. Marik was terribly sick at the time, but because they were found, he was able to get the treatment he needed, and that's why he's so happy all the time. The fact that he's alive is a miracle. Just to stay alive, that's enough for him."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"To remind you of the big picture, that you're not alone." Ryou's voice was as gentle and unreasonably wise as ever.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Four "Hamilton" references in one chapter?! Booyah! On the flip-side, argh, I wanted to put so much more in this chapter, but then I realized that I'd end up with a 4k word chapter, and that's just way too long, so I had to cut it short. I feel like the story is moving so slowly right now. Why did I give myself so many characters to deal with?! Fun Fact: The first sentence of this chapter is a quote from Yami Bakura from Season One Episode 13 of the anime.

Anyways, what did you like about this chapter? What didn't you like? Can you identify all four "Hamilton" references? Please tell me in a review, because _**more reviews = more chapters**_!


	16. S0: Freedom

They finished their tea in relative silence, and before they went back inside, Seto thanked Ryou, for the tea and the story. Ryou's parents were home by that point; Mrs. Bakura had gone to the grocery store earlier and was just finishing putting away the groceries with the help of her husband and Mokuba. She did have work tonight, unlike last night, so she left soon, after talking with Kenji about what she'd learned that day at the doctor's office.

"Oh, hun, why can't we adopt them? We could give them a good home," she sighed wistfully, putting her arms around her husband's neck as she lay her head on his shoulder for a few moments. He chuckled warmly and embraced her, kissing her forehead.

"You do realize that you say that about every stray dog and alley cat you see, right?" he teased.

"But this time I really mean it. They need help. They need parents, family, stability. Seto needs time to heal and sleep and realize that life doesn't have to feel like a constant cycle of torture and degradation. Oh, bother." She was starting to tear up just thinking about what his life must be like. Kenji handed her his handkerchief and hugged her reassuringly.

"We'll make things better for them, dear," he promised as she dabbed at her eyes. Then he added gently, "There's no need to cry."

"I know, I know," she muttered, pulling herself together and giving him an apologetic smile. "I just cry too easily." He kissed her in answer to that, reminding her that he loved her deep empathy as much as he loved any other part of her.

* * *

After Mrs. Bakura had left for work, saying goodbye to the children on her way out the door, Seto was pulled aside by Ryou's father for a private conversation. Ryou turned on the evening news once he'd coaxed the younger children into doing their homework, working on his own reading for literature class while paying cursory attention to current events as told by the newscasters. Marik, on the other hand, was riveted to the television, fascinated and repulsed by the stories he heard.

Meanwhile, Seto's conversation with Mr. Bakura was as uncomfortable as it was beneficial. Mr. Bakura offered to let Mokuba stay with his family for as long as he needed in order to get his life together, but Seto had turned him down flat. He wouldn't let himself be separated from his brother, not even temporarily.

"I'll figure it out," Seto assured. "I'll figure it out within the week. I'll find a way."

"Promise me that if you do get into more trouble, you won't hesitate to come to me for help?" Seto hesitated before answering.

"I won't hesitate if I _need_ your help, sir," Seto answered evasively. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not drag your family into danger if I can help it. I do have one friend who knows what's going on, and I may go to him for help instead, depending on the circumstances."

"Will you at least _tell_ me if you've bitten off more than you can chew?"

"Yes, sir, I will."

"And will you tell me once you have disentangled yourself from your current situation?"

"Right away, sir."

"Good, because my wife was right that we do have an opening for an intern to aid in digitizing our research findings and organizing the information, and we can't start you working until your hours are a little more free."

"Thank you, sir." Seto was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude. This was the most that anybody had ever done for him. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around the reason for why he would help him, aside from charitable impulse. He'd never seen such a thing so strong in someone, save Joey.

Joey. He'd be able to tell him that it was coming to an end. The blond bully-turned-friend would be relieved. He'd always been uncomfortable with Seto's profession and the physical pain it caused him. Seto had always been too stubborn to let Joey do anything to help him, and Joey had been too tentative to push him any further about it.

When they finally re-emerged, Seto was racking his brain as he tried to think of a way for him to possibly get the pimp off his back without angering him and making him go after Mokuba. The TV caught his eye, though, and the news story playing at the moment made him break into a laugh unlike anything else Mokuba or Ryou had ever heard from him. In truth, neither of them had ever heard much laughter from Seto, so to see him laughing hard at nothing in particular was disturbing. Seto was still laughing as he went into the guest room to gather their things together. The other residents of the room looked confused, but were too perplexed to have an answer as to what had caused such a reaction. Meanwhile, the newscaster continued with her story.

"The former corporation president leaves behind a grieving widow and two children. In light of his father's untimely death, Noah Kaiba has inherited his father's shares of the company and ascended the role of president and CEO of the Kaiba Corporation…"

* * *

"You shouldn't find joy in a man's death," Seth said as he appeared in spirit-form in the guest room.

"I'm not going to apologize for being happy that he's dead," Seto said as he got his things together, answering out loud because he didn't stop to think that he might be overheard.

"You sound insane when you laugh like that," Seth pointed out as he crossed his arms. "It draws attention to yourself, and you know that's the last thing you want."

"Fine, I'll stop laughing, but I'm still happy he's dead, because now that he's dead, they no longer need _me_ , _specifically_ , for their nasty little business. I _actually_ have a shot at getting out without putting Mokuba in danger. I don't think you understand what that means to me."

"I understand, Seto, trust me, I do. I hate that man as much as you do, that's why I—" The former pharaoh suddenly fell silent, making Seto look up at him.

"That's why you what? What did you do?" Seto was starting to get suspicious.

"I may have… punished him after what he did to you last night," Seth admitted.

"You… what? How did you…? No, you didn't—" Seto was shocked as he stammered aloud his thought process. "You took control of me just like the Evil Spirit controlled Ryou!"

"Please lower your voice, Seto," Seth cautioned, approaching his hikari with a look of concern. "They already think you've lost it, after a laugh like that. If they hear you arguing with yourself, they won't have any choice but to come in and ask you what's wrong, and I know that's the last thing you want."

"You took control of me without my—How do I not have any memories of this?" Seto was outraged, but he managed to keep his voice low as Seth requested.

"Granted, you were hardly conscious at the time, and that would have eventually led to further injury if I hadn't done something. I was looking out for your _well being_ , Seto." Seth was desperate to make Seto believe him. The more Seto fought him, the more he tried to push Seth out of his mind and his life, the harder this would be on both of them and the longer it would be before they could work cooperatively. Until they managed to work together, it left them vulnerable to an attack by the Spirit of the Ring or any other vile, magical entity.

"By possessing me? And just what do you mean when you say that you 'punished' him?"

"I may have done something to his mind that served him the justice he would otherwise never receive. It's rather complicated, I doubt you wish to hear the details of it at the moment."

"You possessed me before I even knew you were there?!"

" _Please_ , keep your voice down," Seth insisted, the two of them standing nearly toe to toe now. "Seto, you wouldn't have made it very far on your own. Gozaburo had lost his mind before I did anything to him; for all we know, you might not have made it out of there alive if I hadn't stepped in."

There was a moment of silence between them in which they stared each other down, both to stubborn to step away at first. Finally, Seto stepped back, letting his shoulders relax.

"I only did what I had to do to get you to a safe place: I walked as far as this house then gave you control again. That's why you didn't remember getting here last night." Seth spoke more calmly now, resting his ghostly hands on Seto's shoulders as he smiled down at him. Seto may be six foot two, but he was still only sixteen, while Seth was fully grown, and as such was taller. "I only act to protect you, Seto. I know that you have no trust in kindness or charity, but consider this: I need you alive for me to exist in this world. You trust in the power of self-interest, I know. So remember that it's in my interest for you to be healthy and safe. That is why you can trust me to be looking out for your best interest."

He leaned in and kissed Seto's forehead, and Seto would have flinched away from the touch if only he could have felt it.

"Was that the _only_ time you took control of me?"

Seth sighed and released him. "No, it wasn't, but please, Seto," he rushed to speak as Seto started to bristle. "Trust me when I say it was only to protect you."

"When was it?" Seto demanded, crossing his arms.

"Your chess game with Noah," he admitted. "There is a true evil in his heart that you must be wary of. I could tell that things wouldn't have ended well if I'd let you do it alone, so I played a Shadow Game of chess with him and taught him a lesson."

"Did you 'punish' him too?"

"No, I did not. His loss at chess was a lesson in and of itself."

"And what I _do_ remember of the game?"

"Every move on the chess board that you remember is accurate. I planted those while you slept so that you didn't worry about the memory gap."

"Will you show me what really happened now?"

"I don't think you're ready yet. I'm afraid you'd be disturbed by it."

"I'm not a child, and I've seen a fair amount of hellish things, so I doubt what I'm going to see will disturb me."

"The whole thing disturbed Noah enough that he accused me of cheating, even with no evidence to support the claim."

"That was him being a sore loser," Seto said dismissively. "What _really_ happened?"

Seth sighed in defeat and closed his eyes, the images flooding Seto's mind and making him reel. He sat down on the bed, hard, and Seth sighed.

"I told you it was disturbing."

"Who _are_ those people and _why_ do they all look like me?"

"I did tell you that you were my reincarnation, didn't I? You're not the first reincarnation of me, and in another universe, your life is far different from this one. And to add to that, I'm the reincarnation on somebody else." Seto's expression was stunned and perplexed, and he clearly wasn't comprehending what was happening. "I was right, you're not ready for this. I'll explain it to you another time when you're more stable."

Seto was still stunned as he ran through the flood of memories from the Shadow Game. One in particular stood out to him. "Seto... Kaiba? In what universe would I want to be a _Kaiba_?"

"In the universe where it's the only way for you and Mokuba to stay together and still escape the system."

* * *

They went home that night, Seto insisting that he didn't want to overstay his welcome. He made dinner for Mokuba, and they enjoyed a nice, quiet night at home together. The next day, he gathered together the assignments he'd missed on Friday and set about making them up. That night, he planned on bringing his current arrangement to an end once and for all.

When Seto went to meet the pimp for purpose of handing over his payout, he took the Millennium Rod with him instead of the money and left Mokuba locked in his room for safety. This ended here. When Seto called on it, Seth channeled the Shadow Magic so that it didn't kill the vile man, only punished him. Seto walked away unharmed and without giving up a good chunk of his hard-earned cash. He had no qualms or regrets about what he'd done, and Seth found himself saddened by the whole thing.

"Seto, you need to stop laughing when you exact vengeance from your enemies. It's disturbing," Seth scolded as Seto strolled out of the alleyway where he'd left the pimp and his goons in mental agony, his coat billowing out behind him dramatically.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I did," Seto said darkly, not even bothering to look at the spirit beside him, who sighed in response.

"I wouldn't expect you to, but please don't make a habit of this. I don't want to have to argue with you about the use of magic."

"I would only do this to people who absolutely deserve it, like Gozaburo and them"—he jerked his head in the direction of the alleyway they'd left behind—"and now that they're all taken care of, I can't think of anybody else in my life who's like that. I don't foresee needing to do anything like that again in the immediate future."

Seth figured it was the best he could hope to get at the moment. "From now on, just leave the mind crushing to me, okay?"

"Fair enough, since you know all about the shadow magic and I know next to nothing about it. I just wanted to deal with him personally."

The ancient pharaoh fell silent then, the conversation at an end. Seto continued walking home, enjoying the silence. He wasn't prepared for what he saw when he got home, however.

"Where did he go off to _this_ time?" his father was demanding of Mokuba, who looked terrified of their drunk father as he yelled at him. Seto sprang into action immediately, and at first Seth was afraid that he might use the Millennium Rod and attempt to use Shadow Magic, but that was the last thing on Seto's mind. He grabbed his father and pulled him away from the child, pushing him against the wall and keeping him pinned there as the drunk struggled against him. He glanced down the hall at the door to his own room, and saw that the lock must have been broken.

"Mokuba, go to your room and lock the door. I'll come get you." It was all he had to say for Mokuba to scamper off to his room and close the door firmly, locking it, much to Seto's satisfaction. "What have I told you?" he snarled, still pinning his father to the wall. His father laughed, clearly high, and Seto slammed him against the wall again. "What. Have. I. Told. You."

"Not to touch him," his father finally answered, his eyes glazed and his pupils widely dilated.

"Exactly. If you ever lay another finger on him or talk to him like that again, I swear I'll—" His father's laughter interrupted him, only making him more furious.

"You'll what?"

"I'll put my money in a bank where you can't snatch it to pay for your drugs and booze."

"You wouldn't do that. You don't trust anybody, let alone a bank."

"Maybe I'm changing." Seto released his father, who stumbled away, leaving out the front door as he mumbled to himself something incomprehensible. Seto sighed and knocked on Mokuba's door. "Mokuba, it's safe to come out now."

Mokuba came out of the room and threw himself at his brother, Seto crouching down to hug him tightly.

"I don't want you going away anymore," he said, sounding distressed and on the verge of tears.

"I won't go away anymore, Mokuba," he murmured as he picked up his little brother and stood, holding him tightly in his arms. "Things are going to get a lot better from now on."

"You're not going to be hurt, anymore?" _Damn_. He'd thought that he'd been able to hide all that from Mokuba. "I saw your painkillers under the mattress," he explained quietly, wrapping his arms more securely around his brother's neck.

"No, Mokuba, I'm not going to get hurt anymore. You won't have to stay at Ryou's so late, we'll both get more sleep. Things are going to get better."

"Do you promise?"

Seto kissed Mokuba's cheek.

"Yes, I promise."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Finally, freedom! _*insert Braveheart gif*_ My baby's free at last, oh happy day! :'3 I've been wanting to do this since Chapter 1, to be honest. He's free, but he's becoming more like the Seto Kaiba we know and love.

Remember that moment in Season Three when there's a picture of young Seto strolling down the street with money in the air, and he's wearing a long coat for the first time? Yeah, there's a moment like that in this chapter meant to mark a similar turning point in his life.

And, as usual, anybody who can get the "Hamilton" reference in _this_ chapter receives Internet brownies!

So, did you like it? Did you not like it? Tell me why in a review, because **_more reviews = more chapters!_** _Or_ you can guess which Yu-Gi-Oh villain will be appearing next! I just might write a one-shot for anybody who can guess correctly~! ;D


	17. S0: Progress

**Zafiro:** I am so glad that someone picked up on that. ;) I wanted to make Gozaburo truly detestable in this story, and I also needed an explanation for why Seto and Noah (who's heavily based on Season Zero Seto Kaiba) were so darn similar, and that explanation worked quite nicely, in a sick, twisted, perverted sort of way. Even though Gozaburo's dead now, he hasn't quite left the story, so keep an eye out for his ghost. And thank you for the compliment, by the way. It's comments like that which keep me writing! :3

 **SB-129:** Oh, you have no _idea_ how juicy it's getting. ;P

 **Evilkitten3:** Yes, I too wish to hug everybody in Chapter 15. All of the hugs to all of my peoples! *huggles*

 **Lady's Secret:** Close, but no cigar. Thank you for guessing, though. I'll give you a hint: it's an equally charismatic (and effeminate) Yu-Gi-Oh villain.

 **Artemist1015:** I know, right?! I love adorable fanart of those two, I especially like ones where Seto's carrying Mokuba. Also, Noah is _definitely_ up to something! A lot of something, actually. It'll be fun when I get to that part. Fun in a kind of sadistic, chaos-causing kind of way. ;)

* * *

"I've got a job interning for the archaeological department at the university," Seto said to Joey as he slid into the seat next to him second period.

"Wow, really?" His response was enthusiastic, but the look they exchanged was full of meaning. Joey may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he wasn't as nearly as stupid as some people thought him to be. He knew what this meant: Seto was somehow free of it all. He'd finally wormed his way out. "That's great, but I thought you were into computers?"

"I am. I'll be digitizing their findings and entering their artifacts catalog into online databases for other archaeologists to access."

"That's good news. Congrats." Joey smiled at him, genuinely pleased with the good news. The secret he carried weighed much lighter on his heart now. Before, he'd felt incredibly guilty for not doing or saying anything that could save Seto from the pain he endured. Now that he was out, it was just an uncomfortable, albeit illegal, pasts that he would, for a little while, struggle to put fully behind him before the memories finally started to fade.

Class started then, but that was alright by Joey. He was afraid that Ryou, seated behind Seto, had caught onto the meaning in their words and glances, and he didn't trust himself to answer any direct questions.

* * *

In their duel at lunch that day, Seto finally drew the Blue-Eyes to his hand, and he was just about to summon it when they were interrupted by the bell.

In truth, he didn't mind Yugi not knowing about his Blue-Eyes. It hindered his ability to predict Seto's strategy, which worked to the intelligent brunette's advantage. They may be friends, but that didn't mean that he would share all of his strategies with him.

Or with his grandfather, no matter how much of a Duel Monsters master he was. Some days he had the time to visit the Kame Game Shop with Yugi and Joey after school. Joey was frequenting the game shop more and more often these days, partly because Yugi's grandfather was helping Joey train to be a better duelist and partly because he felt more welcome there than he did at home. Sure, he still dropped his little sister off at home after school, but after that, he went straight to the game shop.

"Sometimes I think you care what happens to me more than my parents do," Joey admitted as he moped at the check-out counter of store while Grandpa Moto was getting his own dueling deck from the back.

"Come on, Joey, that can't be true," Yugi insisted, hugging his friend from the side. "I'm sure your parents care about you, they just have their own way of showing it."

Joey smiled sadly as he returned the hug.

"I doubt it, but thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, pal," he said.

"Don't be so sure about that," Solomon said with an understanding smile as he re-emerged. "Parents have their own way of things. Sometimes stress and work get in the way and cloud their thinking, and they don't realize that they haven't said the things they feel in too long."

Seto watched the exchange in silence since he didn't have anything to add to the conversation. He knew what it was like to have parents who didn't care, so he believed it was possible that Joey's parents didn't care about him. He also didn't know Joey's parents, so he didn't dare make a claim as to whether or not they cared about him.

He thought that Anzu was getting jealous of how much time Yugi spent with Joey. Seto was no expert in romance—far from it—but he was smart enough to know when a woman's designs on a man were frustrated. It was amusing to Seto more than anything else, and it was especially amusing to see how oblivious Yugi was to Anzu's intentions. He didn't doubt that Anzu was a genuine friend to Yugi, but he also didn't doubt that she wanted more than friendship with him.

While Anzu continued to flirt with Yugi and continued to fail, Seto continued to work for Mr. Bakura and the other archaeologists working for the university. Seth took great interest in Seto's new profession, often giving his commentary on the items in their catalog of findings while Seto digitized it, whether his commentary was solicited or not.

"They got it wrong," Seth exclaimed as he looked over Seto's shoulder at the screen. "We no longer used incense jars in ceremonies by the time I was pharaoh. It has to be at least a hundred years older than that." He was silent for a few moments. "Aren't you going to fix it?"

"We've been over this, Seth," Seto sighed. "I can't alter the content of the records they kept, even if you believe they're incorrect."

"Which they are," Seth insisted. "I mean, they get most things right, which is amazing considering that all of these artifacts are thousands of years old. I think they'd appreciate my corrections."

"If they knew about you, they might, but the only one who does know about you is Mr. Bakura, and the only reason he knows is because Ryou told him all about the Shadow Game you and the pharaoh played with the Spirit of the Ring."

"I was a pharaoh too, you know," Seth reminded him as he paced behind his hikari, his pride wounded by Seto's forgetfulness.

"I know, but we don't have the other's name."

"I know his name."

"Yes, but you also said it was dangerous to share it," Seto reminded him. "And if I don't call him by his name, then I won't accidentally share it."

"Fair enough." Seth peered at the computer screen again. "That painting isn't depicting that myth," he commented.

"Doesn't matter, because I'm not allowed to change the records," Seto reminded him yet again.

"How are things going in here?" Mr. Bakura asked as he entered the dim computer room.

"Things are going well," he answered without looking up. "I'm almost done with the records of the 1998 expedition to the Valley of the Kings." Seto was digitizing not only the records and findings catalogs of the most recent expedition, but of all the archaeological expeditions the university had funded, which included expeditions to Italy, Central America, India, and Greece, in addition to Egypt. "However, my 'pharaoh friend' won't stop giving commentary on the records."

"You didn't ask me to stop," Seth said with a smirk.

"I can imagine," Mr. Bakura said with a laugh. "You're going through these faster than I anticipated. I'm not sure we'll be needing you around for much longer." He was looking somewhat concerned.

"Not to worry, sir. I've already submitted an application and resume to the Kaiba Corporation. Now that they've shifted from the weapons industry to the gaming industry, they need computer programmers working for them full-time, and I may not have gone to college—yet—but I know more about computer programming than your average undergrad. I plan on graduating high-school at the end of the term, so it'll be a permanent position."

"I'm glad to hear that you have plans for what comes next," Ryou's father said with a look of relief. "It's good to see you doing so well. My wife will be glad to hear it." He turned to leave, but Seto's voice stopped him.

"Thank you again, sir, for all you and your wife did to help me. It means a lot."

"You're welcome," Kenji said with a smile before he left.

"Are you sure you want to work at KaibaCorp?" Seth asked dubiously as he leaned against the desk where Seto was working.

"Of course I am," Seto answered indifferently. "There are numerous layers of corporation bureaucracy between a humble programmer and the CEO. I'll never have to talk to him again."

"And if you get promoted, as we both know you will be?"

"Even if I were promoted to the head of programming, I doubt I'd be encountering that bastard directly."

"He could blackmail you if he finds out that you're working for his corporation."

Seto laughed aloud at that. He laughed hard enough that Seth began to frown at him impatiently.

"Yes, Noah Kaiba would blackmail me because he is so obviously in need of a piece of my fortune!" Seto was incredibly amused by the idea that someone like Noah would bother blackmailing someone like him.

"People blackmail for more than just money," Seth said darkly. "If you do get that job, please be careful. He's still capable of great evil."

"He's gone from chess champion to Duel Monsters champion," Seto said dismissively. "He's nothing more than a rich, spoiled brat who spends too much time playing games. I'm not afraid of him."

"He is a genius in his own right."

"Well, maybe he could have been if he hadn't ruined his brain with all the alcohol and drugs. He's been busted for them like, what, four times?" He grunted disdainfully. "And they still accept the bail and the fine as due punishment for him without incarceration. That's the justice system for you."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I have posted an alternative scene from this story in my "Deleted Scenes" compilation, so ya'll should go check it out! It isn't even a complete scene, just as far as I got into it before I gave up on the idea, but I still like how it turned out, so you should read it. I may use pieces of it in later chapters, since I salvage scraps from my deleted scenes to use in the final product.

I have a question for you all: do you want to see a little more Seto fluff here and there while I plunge into the next arc of this story? I'm just wondering if you'd enjoy it or if you'd find it annoying.

As always, please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_


	18. S0: Blackmail

After the lock on Seto's door had been broken, he'd borrowed a screwdriver from their landlord and swapped his and Mokuba's bedroom doors. He'd decided that it would take less effort and time than if they moved all of their things from Seto's room to Mokuba's room. Something had to move, and Seto had chosen the doors. No way was he going to let Mokuba sleep in a room without a lock on the door. It didn't take all that long for Seto to complete the swap, and as soon as he finished up, he told his brother that it was time for bed.

"I'm scared, Seto," the middle-schooler admitted timidly, not wanting to sleep in Seto's bed alone.

Thus, Seto had moved the mattress off of his bed-frame and pushed it against the other mattress on the floor. The two brothers were sleeping together again, and Mokuba started to feel safer. This arrangement, however, did not come without its drawbacks, which he would discover in the coming weeks.

"Seto! Seto, wake up!"

The elder brother woke with a start, sighing after a moment as he identified Mokuba's face in the obscuring shadows of the room. He was panting hard as he rolled onto his side, still trying to recover himself after his dream.

"What's wrong?" he asked the wide-eyed child.

"You were crying in your sleep," Mokuba murmured as he lay down again, looking his brother in the eye. His small hand reached out and held Seto's cheek as concern weighed heavily on his heart. "Were you… having a nightmare?"

"Yes," Seto answered somewhat breathlessly, trying to hide the true terror he felt as he embraced his brother. "But it was nothing more than a dream. I'm okay. We're okay."

"Are you sure?" Mokuba asked, furrowing his brow as his cheek pressed against Seto's cotton t-shirt. It puzzled him that his brother wouldn't take his shirt off no matter how hot he got at night now, even though summer weather had arrived early this year. He'd done so last summer, so why not now? Was he hiding something? Was he shier now than he had been a year ago?

"Yes, I'm sure. Go back to sleep, Mokuba. I'm sorry I woke you."

Mokuba nestled in against his brother and drifted back to sleep while Seto focused on calming himself. When he'd awoken, he'd felt like he could hardly breathe. He wasn't surprised that he'd made noises in his sleep, given just how upsetting his dream had been.

 _Gozaburo's dead,_ he repeated over and over in his mind, still somewhat unable to believe that fact.

 _Yes, he's gone, and he can never hurt you again,_ Seth murmured into his mind, casting a spell of deep sleep over his hikari, who instinctively struggled against the magic. _Let me help you, Seto. Stop trying to fight me._

Seto didn't answer the spirit in words, but he did cease resisting, letting out a sigh of defeat as he relaxed into sleep.

Seth wished for Seto to trust him. He couldn't think of anything more that he could do to _make_ Seto trust him. He wondered if the troubled teen would ever fully trust anybody. If he couldn't trust someone with whom he shared a body, someone whose heart, mind, and soul were all open to Seto's exploration at any point in time, how could he ever trust somebody whose inner self was closed to him? He prayed to Ra that one day, Seto would have his faith in humanity restored so that he could find it in himself to trust again. How could Seto ever love if he couldn't trust?

* * *

At the end of the term, Seto applied for his diploma early—since he'd earned it—and graduated with as little pomp as possible, according to his plan. His father didn't care, but his friends were all proud of him and quite impressed, and their opinions mattered far more to him than his father's. By this point, he'd already applied to KaibaCorp and received notice that they wanted him to come in for an evaluation. A week later, he was working full-time for them doing what he loved: programming computer software, and in doing so, he was able to help KaibaCorp pioneer the field of holographic projections.

As one of their most promising software specialists, he'd been paired with one of their most promising hardware specialists, someone that he was surprised to recognize: Duke Devlin, who attended Domino High and was in the same class as Joey, Yugi, and the others. He'd had little occasion to interact with him in the past, so he knew almost nothing about him, except that he was a player, popular with the ladies (and even some guys), and the proud owner of a cherry red motorcycle. His demeanor was laid-back and careless, so it surprised Seto that he turned out to be so precise and careful with his machines.

They worked well as a team, and Seto found that he actually enjoyed Duke's company. It was nice to have a room for the two of them to brainstorm and work on both aspects of their project: the coded programs that Seto wrote and the machines that would exercise the codes perfectly, if all went as planned. Seto was grateful above all that he had steady pay and didn't have to interact with numerous idiots on a daily basis. He had no patience for idiots, and Duke Devlin certainly wasn't an idiot.

The Duel Arena was their brain-child, and neither could have pulled it off on their own, but together, they created a structure that would take the whole gaming world by storm. Seto was proud of himself and what he and Duke had accomplished. It had caught the attention of more powerful figures in the company and earned both of them a raise and assurance of a permanent position at KaibaCorp. That gave Seto a sense of financial security he'd never had before, not even as a child. Soon, he'd have enough money that he could move his brother out of their current apartment and live in a better, safer part of town. Seto didn't really feel bad about leaving his father to his own devices: after all, that was exactly what he'd done to his sons when he'd surrendered himself to alcoholism. Maybe it would be the wake up call the man needed in order to pull his life together.

* * *

"I don't think there's anything more I can do to prevent scarring," Mrs. Bakura said with a sigh as Seto pulled his shirt back on. She'd asked him to come by so that she could check how he was healing. "I guess we'll just have to let time heal what it can. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you did the best you could," he assured.

"Well, I'm sure you don't _want_ those scars to be permanent, so I would suggest looking into homeopathic methods of fading them, although I can't recommend any myself. I hear that different ones work better for different people. I can't imagine how you'll explain them to your wife one day."

Seto froze as he reached for the doorknob. _Wife?!_ He wasn't even thinking about a girlfriend at this point, let alone a wife! He was of the same opinion as Ryou, that all the girls in their class at Domino were too shallow and air-headed to be worth his time. Besides, Seto had become entirely asexual since his career change, although he didn't know just yet that was the word for it. Not only was he entirely disillusioned with romance but his body viscerally rejected any notion of or attempt at human contact, especially sexual contact. He wasn't exaggerating when he said that he wanted nothing to do with any of that ever again. Mokuba was the only one who could touch him without causing him distress.

"I don't really… plan on getting married, so… that's not gonna happen." His rebuff was about as awkward as it could possibly have been, and it didn't help that he was starting to blush. He was just grateful that Ryou's mother seemed to understand, and yet still chose to make light of it to put him at ease.

"Come now, Seto, you're too young to be a misanthrope," she teased light-heartedly.

"I'm _not_ a misanthrope," he defended with a crooked grin. "Just an aspiring antisocialite."

* * *

They'd nearly finished their first big project and were starting to move on to something else when something happened that set both genius teens on edge.

"The Duel Arena is all well and good, but we need some way to make it portable, so that people can duel with the holographic monster projections anywhere," Seto mused leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the edge of his desk. "I bet something like that would be a real hot ticket item."

"What was that?" Duke called, his entire upper body immersed in the internal machinery of the Duel Arena's corner projector with only his legs clearly visible. He started to shift out from their invention, but gave a sudden cry. "Ow! Wait, hold on." Seto rolled his eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you to tie your hair back before climbing into one of those things?"

"I'm not going to let practicality cramp my style!" Duke declared as he untangled his ponytail from one of the mechanisms and finally emerged. "What did you say?"

"I said," Seto answered in exasperation, "That we need to get started on the next big thing: something that does the job of a Duel Arena, but is one hundred percent portable. Something that an individual who _isn't_ a millionaire can still afford."

"Ah, that'll be tricky," Duke said, sounding excited. "I'll get started on some sketches as soon as I finish tweaking the calibration on this corner." He made to go back into the machine as Seto stood and walked over to the whiteboard on the far wall, erasing its contents and starting to make a list of objectives for their next project: portable, affordable…

"Excuse me, Master Kaiba would like to see you both in his office right away."

Both teens looked towards the doorway and saw that one of Noah Kaiba's personal bodyguards had come down to fetch them. They looked at each other as they put down what they were doing and followed their escort to the elevator. He didn't say anything more and neither did they, so the elevator was filled with a stifling silence as the tension grew. They were instructed to sit in the chairs outside his office and wait to be called in.

* * *

"We won't fail you, Master Kaiba," Johnson assured as he and his four associates stood in front of their employer's desk.

"For your sakes, I hope you don't," Noah said menacingly, handing over the large scroll of blueprints. "You five should have access to all the funds and research data you'll need. If any of my tech nerds give you difficulty, let me know, and I'll have them straightened out." He sat back in his father's desk chair, looking utterly diabolical. "You're sure you can have it completed by the deadline I've given you?"

"Yes sir," Krump assured eagerly. "I've run the numbers, and the odds of our falling behind schedule are only 0.5%"

"Make sure that you don't. Now get out, I have a meeting." They all bowed respectfully to their arrogant superior and left to do as they'd been bidden.

* * *

Five big-wig businessmen exited the corporation president's office and the secretary seated outside that very door instructed that one of the two teens enter. Duke went in first. He was only gone for maybe five minutes, but when he came back out, his mood had entirely shifted. All smiles were gone and he was looking more grim than Seto had ever seen him before.

When Seto went in, he understood why.

"You are going to sign this document, surrendering all your rights to invention of the Duel Arena to me."

"Why would I do something like that?" Seto demanded, crossing his arms, even though he already had an idea of why. Noah's creepy smile just confirmed it for him.

"Because I have information about you that you wouldn't want to be made public—or given to the authorities, for that matter. Prostitution is illegal, last time I checked."

Seto ground his teeth as he withheld any response he wanted to make.

"Then again, I could always have you arrested for grand theft."

"What?!"

"Technically, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon has been valued at tens of thousands of dollars, which would make your stealing it _grand_ theft."

"This is blackmail."

"Which means that you can't report it without turning yourself in."

"But I didn't _steal_ your card, I won it fairly."

"But you _did_ sell your body."

It was all Seto could do to keep himself from cringing in response, or from lunging for Noah's throat. He had to settle with glaring at him instead. The CEO cackled then smirked at his employee.

He still remembered when Duke and Seto's success at creating the Duel Arena had first come to his attention in a report from the supervisor of product creation, files of their invention's capabilities as well as their initial applications left on his desk for his perusal. The moment he'd opened Seto's file, he'd been filled with a sadistic sense of glee. He'd finally found the insolent one who'd defeated him in chess. In his initial disdain for the individual, he'd never even asked his name, which made it impossible to find him with the resources he'd had at his disposal. Now, though, he had him under his thumb, entirely subject to his will, and he couldn't be happier.

"I'm waiting for that signature, Seto."

The brunette stepped forward and picked up the stapled stack of paper, glancing over it quickly.

"By signing this, I surrender all patent rights, all copyrights, all royalty rights, everything?"

"Yes, and if you tell anybody that you and your partner were the real inventors of the Duel Arena, I will make your life hell."

Seto grit his teeth as he picked up the pen, signing the contract, but hating every moment of it. Well, it could be worse, right? He could be fired. That would be worse.

"Thank you, that will be all," Noah said dismissively, and Seto made himself leave _without_ committing an act of violence.

He rejoined Duke outside the executive's office and they walked to the elevator together. As they slowly descended, they remained silent, neither wishing to speak.

"So, he's got dirt on you too, huh?" Duke said at last, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Seto sighed, looking at the floor. The silence became sad and awkward as they returned to their work-room. Having all rights to their invention taken from them felt like having a child taken from them, because it _was_ their child, their brainchild.

"Well, no matter what happens, at least _we'll_ know the truth," Duke said in an attempt to cheer Seto up. The brunette just shrugged and stepped out of the elevator, leading the way back to their work-room to continue their brainstorming for the portable Duel Arena replacement.

 _I'm sorry, Seto, but I did warn you that something like this might happen,_ Seth murmured in the back of Seto's mind, making his hikari begin to doubt his decision to work for KaibaCorp in the first place.

Meanwhile, their boss reveled in his success. Noah's heartless chuckle quickly escalated to a maniacal laugh, and he only ceased because the sound of a female voice interrupted him.

"I take it that went well?" His girlfriend stepped out of the private bathroom attached to his office. He'd asked her to hide in there while he took care of some "boring business," so he called it.

"Incredibly well," Noah answered with a smirk. "Everything is going _perfectly_."

"Does that mean that you can take a break from work for a little while?" She smiled slyly and slunk over to him, easing herself onto his lap and straddling it fearlessly as she ran a hand through his bright green hair. Noah twirled a strand of her long purple hair around his finger as he grinned up at her.

"I always have time for you, babe."

* * *

"Hey Seto, how's your big project going?" Mokuba asked as Seto started walking him home from the Bakura's house that evening. He still paid Ryou to babysit Mokuba for him while he was at work, since he still didn't like the idea of leaving Mokuba home alone. He was just too young, and their father was too unpredictable, that it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"It's almost done," Seto said after a moment, pausing as he realized that—because of the contract he'd signed that morning—he'd need to tell Mokuba to forget everything his brother had told him about the Duel Arena's creation.

He tried to explain it as best as he could, but Mokuba was focused on _why_ he needed to forget.

"It doesn't matter why, it just matters that you forget all about it, _especially_ the fact that I helped create it. You need to promise me that you'll never tell _anybody_ that I helped invent it, okay?"

Mokuba promised even though he didn't understand why. He trusted that Seto had a good reason for it.

"You didn't already tell anybody about it, did you?"

"No, I didn't tell anybody," his brother answered, believing his words to be true.

They weren't. He'd told Amane about it a couple weeks ago, but he'd completely forgotten that he had.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Oh dear, I do seem to have misled you all. My sincerest apologies. I guess that's what happens when I concoct a plot-line so long and complex that I myself can't even remember all the important details. I forgot that we're not quite done with Noah Kaiba yet.

So, to make up for the confusion, I have posted the Monster World scene in my Deleted Scenes collection. Well, what I wrote of it, at least. It's unfinished and, in my opinion, rather awkward, but it's there if you want to read it.

So, did you like it? Did you not like it? What was your favorite part? Can you guess who Noah's girlfriend is? Tell me in a review, because **_more reviews = more chapters!_**


	19. S0: Seeking

When Mokuba's birthday arrived, Seto tried hard to make it special for him. After all, Seto's own birthdays as a youngster hadn't been much celebrated or noticed, and he didn't want Mokuba to go through that as well.

Seto always woke Mokuba in the morning, but on his birthday, it was the smell of fresh pancakes that woke his little brother. Seto had acquired several cooking skills out of necessity and had become quite proficient in what he knew. Mokuba had gone through a stage of picky eating when he was eight, and thirteen-year-old Seto had needed to work hard to get his brother to eat much of anything.

They were chocolate chip pancakes, which put his now twelve-year-old brother in a good mood for the long walk to the KaibaCorp Headquarters. He'd cleared it with his supervisor beforehand, so it was alright for him to bring Mokuba in to work with him that day. He'd also let Duke know so that he wouldn't be surprised.

"Hi there, I'm Duke," the mechanical genius greeted as he held out a hand to Mokuba, who shook it with a smile. "You must be Mokuba. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Mokuba said with a smile. "You built that?" he asked, looking behind Duke at the Duel Arena prototype.

"Yep, and your brother did all the programming," Duke said, after double checking that the door was closed. They could get away with this so long as it never got to Noah that Mokuba had come in with Seto. Duke had started to suspect that he had moles acting as his eyes and ears in every corner of the company, so they'd taken extra precautions like closing their door while they were working. "Want to test it out?"

"Can I?" Mokuba said excitedly, unable to believe his ears.

"Of course you can!" Duke answered, with a wink. "We need to test it out again to see if your brother finally worked out all the kinks in the card-reader."

"Hey, you try staring at endless pages of computer coding and _not_ having difficulty picking out the errors. It's a different language completely, just like Portuguese or Farsi."

"Nah, I'll leave that to nerds like you," Duke teased playfully.

"Hey, speak for yourself," Seto joked back, Mokuba grinning the whole time. He enjoyed seeing his brother so happy. He hoped that things stayed this way for a long time. He never wanted things to go back to when Seto was always working late, always in pain, always tired.

"Are you ready to duel?" Duke asked with a sly grin."

* * *

That night, the two of them were very content indeed. Mokuba had crawled over to Seto as he sat on their bed and looked over Duke's preliminary sketches for their portable Duel Arena idea. The child curled up at his brother's side, content to just be near him.

"Seto, do you need glasses?" Mokuba asked finally after nearly fifteen minutes of watching his brother squint at Duke's angular handwriting and faint pencil sketches.

"What? No, that's ridiculous," he answered, quickly dismissing the idea.

"But didn't Mom wear reading glasses?"

Seto was silent for a few moments, then answered, "Yeah, she did."

"So it's not _that_ ridiculous that you might need them too, right?" Mokuba pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Seto answered with a sigh, smiling at his brother.

 _I told you that there was something wrong with your vision,_ Seth said, trying not to sound too triumphant.

 _Shut up, you,_ Seto thought back at him with a tone of irritation. _I'll deal with it when I can afford to go to the eye doctor. Until then, I'll make do._

"Can you please tell me more about her?" Mokuba asked, making Seto inhale slowly as he dug into his deepest memories.

"I was really young, so I don't remember much," he said slowly. "I remember that she had dark hair, kinda like yours, but she kept it shorter. She baked the best chocolate chip cookies, and we always ate one as soon as they came out of the oven." He smiled at the memory, one of the few he had of her, but while he had few memories, they were all quite vivid. He could still remember the smell of the cookies, the burn of the melted chocolate chips against the roof of his mouth. He could still hear her voice telling him to eat it quickly before they cooled, because it was a proven fact that chocolate always tasted best when hot. He could still see her broad smile, warm and understanding and kind. God, he missed her. "She did wear reading glasses, not just when she was reading, but also when she sketched."

"She liked to draw?" Mokuba asked with surprise, not having heard this detail before.

"Yeah, just like you," he answered. "I remember that she drew some pictures of you right after you were born, when you were still really tiny."

"Do we have any of her drawings?" Mokuba asked hopefully.

"I don't know, but I'll look tomorrow."

"How big was I when I was born?" he asked, suddenly wanting to know not just more about her, but everything he could possibly know.

"Five pounds, nine ounces," Seto answered after a moment's thought. "You were pretty small, but then again, all babies seemed really small to me when I was that young. She worried about you a lot." The memories of his mother after Mokuba's birth were more detailed, more clear. "Every time you cried, she was afraid that she'd done something wrong." His mother's descent into post-partum anxiety was a less rosy memory, though no less cherished than any others. She may have been fretful and frazzled for the few months between his brother's birth and her own death, but she hadn't loved any of them any less.

"Was there… _reason_ for her to be worried?" Mokuba asked, suddenly afraid that there had been something wrong with him when he was an infant.

"I'm inclined to say no, but I only understood a fraction of what was going on at the time." It was the best answer he could give. "I remember… I remember her singing you lullabies, trying to get you to sleep." He didn't want to go into the details of their mother's panic attacks, the episodes in which she'd gone frantic with worry for her baby and the only thing that could calm her down was… "Dad was different back then. He was a good husband and a good father. It was only after we lost Mom that he changed." They both sat in sad, uncomfortable silence. "They really loved each other." Mokuba's smaller hand slipped into Seto's, holding it tightly.

"What's the last thing you remember of her?" Mokuba asked. Seto felt reluctant to answer, but Mokuba sensed this and said, "I'm old enough that I can handle it."

"She was sick," Seto said, trying to maintain his sense of calm. "She was sick in bed, and she wanted to hold you, but she was too afraid of you getting sick too." Seto finally set aside the sketches he'd been looking at and pulled Mokuba up into his lap, his little brother putting his arms around Seto's neck.

"Weren't you the only one with her when…?" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes," he whispered. "She was sick, but she was holding me… I couldn't leave her alone." Seto was starting to choke up. These memories were far too poignant for him to think about for much longer without crying.

"But, wasn't that dangerous for you?" Mokuba asked, astonished.

"Yes, but I couldn't seem to die." Seto laughed a little bitterly at that, remembering how long she'd been sick and how much time he'd spent with her, yet he'd been fine. "I never left her side the whole time, but I never got sick. I probably should have, since she seemed to fear that it was contagious, but I have no idea what she was sick with." Seto took another steadying breath, and said, "I remember that one of the last things she asked me was to tell you that she loved you. She made me promise to protect you, which is what I've always done." He kissed Mokuba's forehead. "And I never break promises, do I?"

"No, you don't," Mokuba said with a faint smile. "Because you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, right?"

"That's right." Seto was glad that what he'd been teaching his brother all his life was sticking in his young mind: Don't make promises you can't keep. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Only initiate a fight in the defense of others. Never act out of anger. Never lie, because lies always catch up with you. Don't hide your mistakes, because painful consequences are always preferable to the pain of guilt.

"Just like when I kissed Amane and I promised her that—"

"What?!" Alarms started going off in Seto's brain as he stared down at his brother, who's started to blush. "You did what?!"

"I… kissed her," Mokuba answered hesitantly, not understanding the cause for the severity of his brother's reaction.

Seto sighed heavily, taking a moment to stare up at the ceiling. _I'm too young to have to worry about things like this,_ he inwardly bemoaned.

 _Then let me help,_ Seth offered. The moment Seto felt Seth's mental presence try to push forward, his defenses went up, blocking Seth out.

 _Don't do this, Seto,_ Seth pleaded. _I'm not trying to take over, I'm just trying to work_ with _you. Or do you want to explain these things to your brother_ without _my guidance?_

"Seto?" His brother's prolonged silence was starting to worry Mokuba.

"We need to have a talk," Seto said at last as he let Seth ease his way into Seto's consciousness. He could feel the ancient spirit providing him with the peace of mind and clarity of speech that he needed for this discussion, and for the first time, the two of them operated as one.

* * *

"I should have done this ages ago," Ryou muttered to himself as he propped his laptop on his thighs and slouched against the pillows on his bed, adjusting the angle of his bent knees as he opened the device and logged onto his account. He was tired of _wondering_ why Seto shied away from his touch, as he did everybody else's except Mokuba. He opened his Internet browser and began typing something into Google, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to recall all of the strangenesses Seto had been exhibiting in the last few months.

"What are you doing?" Marik asked as he popped his head through Ryou's doorway. Ryou paused in what he was doing and glanced, his face softening as he saw Marik.

"I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with Seto," he answered, causing Marik to enter out of curiosity. As Marik sat down facing him at the foot of the bed, Ryou pulled himself up so that he was no longer slouching, his legs fully extended in front of him as he kept the computer on his lap. Two pairs of legs ran parallel to each other across the bedspread, touching at the knees, but neither minded. Marik remained silent, contemplating all of his interactions with Seto.

"I don't know why I didn't think to do this before," Ryou repeated, half to himself.

"Do what?"

"Use Google to see if here's something _actually_ wrong with him."

" _Actually_ wrong?" Marik tipped his head to the side in confusion.

"Like, a disorder or, heaven forbid, a disease," Ryou said in explanation as he thoughtfully perused the Wikipedia page about haphephobia, the fear of being touched:

 _"Some people are born with haphephobia, while others may develop it, predominantly after a bad experience. More rarely, it is caused by an extreme reaction to their environment. Sometimes, the fear is restricted specifically, or predominantly, to being touched by people of the opposite or same sex. This is often associated with a fear of sexual assault. Michel Dorais reports that many boys who have been the victims of sexual abuse have a fear of being touched, quoting one victim who describes being touched as something that 'burns like fire,' causing him to freeze up or lash out." (1)_

"Uh oh." The words passed Ryou's lips involuntarily, and Marik began to look concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure about it yet, but I have a feeling that this will turn out very badly…" He didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet and voice his fears to Marik, in case he was wrong. Since he knew that Seto hadn't _always_ been like this (after all Seto had hugged him after he helped Ryou extract the Millennium Ring from his chest at school), he clicked on the link to "sexual assault," finding it to be the most likely cause, as much as it sickened him to think of it. He went from "sexual assault" to "rape," eventually making his way to the "rape trauma syndrome" page. Far too many symptoms either reminded Ryou of things he and Mokuba had witnessed in Seto or of Seto's typical behavioral patterns. Too much fit him too well.

Seto probably didn't realize how much his little brother told Ryou about him. Every nightmare, every sleepless night, every unexplained injury got reported back to Ryou ever since he'd gotten into the habit of asking Mokuba how his brother was doing.

Eventually, Ryou's heart ached too much, and he closed the browser window and his laptop, tucking it under his bed before sitting up and hugging himself as he struggled internally through all the information he'd just absorbed. Marik, who'd been waiting patiently and quietly for the results of Ryou's research, pulled his legs up under him and crawled to the other end of the bed, nudging his head against Ryou's shoulder in a somewhat feline manner as he knelt beside his best friend.

"What did you find out?" he finally asked, and Ryou sighed heavily as he put an arm around Marik's shoulders and gathered his thoughts for an answer.

"Someone hurt him, that much I know for sure," he said at last, leaning into the warm, solid presence of his best friend. That wasn't new information, since he and Marik both still vividly remembered the night that Seto had collapsed on their doorstep and his parents had retreated into the privacy of the guest room to take care of him. Mr. and Mrs. Bakura hadn't let either Ryou or Marik see Seto or the true state he was in, though, so they still lacked those details. "I don't know how, not with certainty at least, but he's hiding something that he should have reported as soon as it happened." Marik considered his words.

"Do you think someone… took advantage of him?"

That was a gracious way of putting it.

"It makes the most sense," Ryou admitted quietly. The tanned teen seemed repulsed by the idea, but not surprised, as if he'd been considering it as a possibility all along. Marik's arm around him pulled him closer. "Do you think getting him to talk about it could help?"

"I don't know if it would help, but I _do_ know that he couldn't have a better friend to talk to than you," Marik answered, giving Ryou's cheek a kiss as he put his other arm around him. The two stretched out along the bed and cuddled, Marik hoping that it would make the burden of knowledge cause Ryou less distress.

Maybe it was the warmth of their position as the lay comfortably together, or maybe it was the fact that Ryou had stayed up half the night writing a new scenario for the Monster World RPG, but he soon drifted off into a light doze without even meaning to. Marik just smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head against Ryou's as he let him nap. He was unaware when Ryou's father paused at the half-open door to his son's bedroom and smiled. He passed on after a moment, not wanting to disturb them. After all, their love was a beautiful thing.

* * *

Ryou looked out the window as he waited for Seto to arrive. He was usually like clockwork, but today he was late, and it worried him. Mr. Bakura had, as a surprise, set Marik up on a video chat with his siblings back in Egypt. Marik had become droll and homesick as of late, and Ryou was glad to see him so animated and lively again. Mokuba and Amane were cuddling on the couch, and while Ryou felt that he ought to be keeping an eye on them—he had a sneaking suspicion that Mokuba could actually be fairly charming if he tried—he was too distracted. After the research he'd done on Seto's behavioral symptoms, any deviance from his usual patterns caught Ryou's attention and held it until he knew that everything was alright.

As he watched the street corner, resting his chin in his hands, Seto rounded it in a blur of movement, running like there was no tomorrow. But he looked as if he'd been running for a while, and he glanced over his shoulder, the gesture allowing Ryou to see the panic on his face. He stumbled, and his head snapped forward again. He came to a halting stop, then ducked into the narrow alley between Ryou's house and the one next door. He was acting like he was being chased, but Ryou didn't see anybody following him in pursuit.

Ryou sat up and slipped on his shoes, then stepped out the front door and went to join Seto before anybody could ask him where he was going. He found him crouched at the base of the wall, panting hard.

"Seto, are you okay?"

The brunette started at the sound of Ryou's voice, tensing for a moment, then relaxing again and closing his eyes as he let his head fall back against the wall. He didn't seem able to answer, but whether it was because he didn't know or he was out of breath was unclear. Ryou carefully sat down beside him, close, but not touching him. Ever since he'd suspected Seto of having hapnophobia—haptephobia—whatever it was—he'd been careful not to touch Seto without permission. He liked to think that it was appreciated, even though it was difficult for him to do, since he—like Marik—communicated affection and comfort primarily through touch.

"Seto, did somebody hurt you?" his question was a faint whisper. Seto opened his eyes and stared ahead at the wall they were facing, silent as he tried to piece together an answer for him.

"I-I can't remember what happened," he whispered at last, shaking his head a little. "But… I don't think so, not this time."

"This time?" Ryou repeated, afraid that his fears were about to be confirmed. Seto mentally cursed himself for his verbal slip up, retreating into his own mind as he sought out Seth to ask him for information, his hand unconsciously going to the length of the Millennium Rod as he did so. Ryou noticed this and decided to wait and let Seto commune with Seth before speaking again.

 _Seth, you didn't take over, did you?_ Seto asked, privately hoping that the answer was yes. If so, then the mystery was solved.

 _No, you fought off your attacker yourself this time, Seto,_ he answered, a touch of pride in his pained voice. Seto recognized that voice; it was the one Seth used when he waxed paternal and called Seto "son" and "child."

 _Did you at least see who it was?_ He knew the statistics: 96% of all rapes were committed by someone who already knew the victim in some capacity. If Seth could describe him, he could identify his attacker and report him to the police.

 _No, I'm sorry, I didn't,_ Seth answered faintly. _If I had seen who it was, I promise you, I would do all I could to bring him to justice._

 _Do you at least remember what happened?_ Seto asked, desperate for any scrap of information he could get. He hated not being able to remember what happened.

Seth hesitated, then answered, _I do, my son, but I'm not going to share it with you._

 _Why not?_ Seto demanded, getting angry with Seth and with himself. Was he really so weak-minded that such trauma was enough to shock him into selective amnesia? After everything he'd suffered, was there really anything that could cause him trauma?

 _Because there's a reason that your mind blocked the memory,_ Seth answered patiently. _It would tear you apart all over again. Besides,_ he continued, addressing the thoughts that Seto hadn't directly aimed at him. _This was a surprise. Every other time, you were expecting something and you were, technically, willing, in body though not in spirit._

 _Are you sure you didn't just CHOOSE to take this memory from me?_ he snapped somewhat savagely. He hated that Seth was implying someone had attempted to rape him, but he had to admit that such a thing would indeed explain his faintly shaking hands and rapidly beating heart.

 _I would sooner have taken over and stopped it myself,_ Seth scoffed. _I would have stepped in if you'd needed me to, but you didn't. Besides, erasing your memories is a post facto remedy; I'd rather prevent the event in the first place._

Frustrated, Seto strained his mind to recall what had happened: he'd left the office, walked two blocks—then everything became a black, blurry headache. After that, he just remembered running fast and hard until he came here, knowing that he was possibly being pursued, possibly fleeing an assailant. Why did his hair feel like it had been yanked at its roots and why did his arm ache like it had been forcefully twisted behind his back? Seth forced Seto out of his memories, casting a sense of calm over his hikari so that he could take the time he needed to work through this instead of breaking down in distress.

 _Please, don't hurt yourself trying to remember,_ Seth chided tenderly, easing the headache Seto had induced by taking the pain for himself as he hoped that Seto would just let the matter be. _You're safe now, and that's the most important thing._

"Seto…"

Ryou's voice brought Seto back to himself, and he realized that he'd started to weep. He glanced over to see that Ryou was offering him a handkerchief, and he accepted it with a mumbled thanks as he started to dry his eyes.

"May I hug you?" Ryou asked, feeling otherwise helpless to comfort his friend.

"Yeah," Seto answered after a moment, bracing himself for the contact but sighing with relief as Ryou's hug actually caused him no discomfort or distress. Maybe it was because Ryou had been less touchy lately, or maybe it was simply because he'd asked for permission first, but Seto was actually able to find comfort in physical contact aside from Mokuba for the first time in a long while. It felt so good, he didn't want to let go.

"Thank you," he said at last, releasing the shorter teen and pulling himself back to his feet, Ryou following suit with a look of concern.

"You should tell somebody what happened," Ryou said softly, still looking worried.

"If I can't even remember the attack, then there's nothing to report," Seto said dismissively, trying to pull himself together. After all, he hadn't been injured and he had no information about the attacker, so what was there worth saying?

"Seto—"

"I'm not going to argue with you about this."

"What about the last time, then?" Ryou's voice was soft, but piercing.

Seto looked up at Ryou sharply, suddenly wondering just how much he knew.

"Have you been talking to Joey lately?" he asked out of the blue.

"Joey?" Ryou was now quite confused. "I don't see how that's rel—"

"Nevermind." Seto walked past Ryou, just wanting to put it all behind him.

Ryou sighed, and called softly, "I won't tell anybody, but if you ever do need to talk, I'm always willing to listen."

Seto hesitated, and answered quietly, "Thank you."

* * *

Noah Kaiba uncorked a bottle of Brunello as Miho got ice from the machine. They were in his top-floor office; she'd come to visit him, bothered by the fact that he was working so late.

"I still can't believe you were foolish to go for a walk without one of your bodyguards," Miho said disapprovingly as she re-entered the office with the ice and some paper towels.

"Well, I just wanted to stretch my legs briefly, I didn't think I needed them for so short a walk," he lied easily.

"Well, apparently you do." She sounded bitter.

"Are you mad at me, babe?" he asked as he poured their glasses of wine. He didn't care that they were underage, and neither did she. His staff knew better than to try and blackmail him or report him to the police.

"Yes, because it was careless, and I don't like seeing your pretty face all swollen like that." She pouted as she held the ice to his cheek, and he smiled at her charmingly.

"It won't kill me, you know. Give it a week, and you'll never even know that it was there." Secretly, he was furious that he'd been struck. No matter what, he was going to get his hands on that penniless, no good man-whore even if he had to lure him to this very office. Noah Kaiba always got what he wanted, no exceptions, and he wanted to break Seto in a way that his father never could.

He handed Miho her wineglass and held up his own. "To pleasure, and all that it implies," he said with that half-smile of seductive cunning that never failed to fascinate her.

"I'll drink to that," she purred.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** So, I stopped fighting the angstshipping and just let it happen. I hope none of you hate me for that. :/ If you want me to write the scene of how the romance got started between those two fluffy lovebirds (or perhaps what they do the day they stay home alone together ;P), let me know in a review, and I'll write it for my Deleted Scenes collection. And two more "Hamilton" references, what?! ;P

So, I would have included the set up that would tell you the next big plot point coming in the next chapter, but I opted for the fluff instead, as requested. ;P Otherwise, the chapter would have been **_WAY_ ** too long. It's already too long anyways.

What was your favorite moment? Tell me in a review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_ And I don't post another chapter until I get at least one review on the newest chapter, so review, even if you didn't like it!

(1) Quote from "Haphephobia" Wikipedia page.


	20. S0: Death-T

**Text in bold denotes allusions to the musical _Hamilton._**

* * *

By the end of July, Mr. Bakura completed his doctoral thesis and, after presenting it before the board for cross-examination, earned his PhD, officially becoming Dr. Bakura. Within a matter of weeks, he was taking off for Egypt again on a new expedition. There must have been something important about this one that earned him sufficient funding so quickly.

Less than a week after the good doctor had left, a national holiday came around that let Seto and Mrs. Bakura both off of work for the day, so Mrs. Bakura took Amane and Mokuba to the museum. Ryou, who missed his father and had taken Marik to the same museum previously, stayed home with the Egyptian orphan, just wanting a quiet day of relative solitude. When Seto invited him to join him and Joey at the Game Shop, he thanked him, but turned him down. He just wanted to stay home.

Joey, Seto, and Yugi were hanging out at the Kame Game Shop, the national news playing on the TV as Mr. Moto explained to the three duelists about soul cards.

"For example, Yugi is the Dark Magician," Grandpa said as Yugi held up his favorite favorite card with a grin. "The Dark Magician is allied with several other duel monsters who can boost his power in battle. This is especially helpful when you're in a tight spot. He draws strength from his friends, not because he isn't strong on his own, but because it makes him unstoppable. He is most vulnerable when separated from his allies and forced into isolation, but he is not helpless, because, like any good magician, he always has some tricks up his sleeve. Respect the Dark Magician, and he will never fail you, for his loyalty is unwavering."

"Whoah, look at that!" Joey exclaimed, calling the group's attention to the TV. Seto scowled at the image of Noah Kaiba and Maximilian Pegasus shaking hands in front of the Duel Arena prototype. It was finally finished and ready for production, now that all of the kinks had been worked out. After hours and hours of cycling through every Duel Monsters card in existence—which was an incredibly valuable database to have at his disposal—they were satisfied that there were no glitches or errors in the system.

"World Chess Champion, International Duel Monsters Champion, and recently appointed CEO and president of KaibaCorp, Noah Kaiba announced at a press conference earlier today the release of the Duel Arena, which will soon be appearing in a new attraction at KaibaLand. His incredible invention will allow duels to take place with realistic monster holograms doing battle before your very eyes! These machines will bring a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'It's time to duel!' Furthermore, Mr. Pegasus of Industrial Illusions has confirmed that these will be used in official Duel Monsters tournaments this point forward. On that note, be sure to tune in tonight on the Dueling Network to watch the opening rounds of the Regional Duel Monsters Tournament hosted by Industrial Illusions."

Mr. Moto finally snapped out of the TV's hypnotic mental grip and snapped at Joey, "Pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once!" Joey nodded sheepishly, looking embarrassed. He opened his mouth to ask something, but was cut off by the ringing of the bell on the shop's door.

"This store sells Duel Monsters cards, yes?" The teens turned toward the voice, Seto a moment after the others. He already knew who it was without looking. That wretched voice that sounded nothing like him, yet its own was far too identical.

"Noah Kaiba?!" Joey gasped in awe. "You play Duel Monsters too, right? Maybe we could play a duel right now?"

Seto had to give Joey credit for trying. In the past five or six months, Joey had changed completely. He was now friendly, kind, and happy where before he'd been aggressive, rude, and angry. But sometimes it almost seemed as if he'd forgotten that everybody in the world had not changed with him.

" _Me_ duel _you_? I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire," Noah scoffed, striding forward, his eyes cold and appraising. When he stopped in front of the counter, Seto straightened up, and the brief moment where the two faced each other was enough to charge the air with static. Everyone—even the imperceptive Joey—could feel a vague tension between them. Their matching blue eyes met for a moment before Seto looked away, not wanting to start something that he couldn't finish. He didn't want to fight him here, not in front of Yugi and his grandfather. Seto took a moment to indulge in a vision of him and Joey ganging up on the spoiled brat.

 _Steady,_ Seth cautioned softly, numbing his reincarnation's violent urges. _Don't tempt yourself._

"I've heard rumors that you own one of the four Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards. Is that true? Because if so, I'm willing to pay any price for it."

Yugi noticed Seto tense as Noah mentioned the dragon-type monster that he knew Seto sought.

 _You should take your own advice,_ Seto said to Seth as he felt the spirit bristle at Noah's words.

 _He is not worthy of commanding the Blue-Eyes,_ Seth growled, restraining himself from action.

"Oh ho ho ho," Solomon laughed heartily, for no reason that the teenagers could see. "You have been unfortunately misinformed. I am not so fortunate as to own a Blue-Eyes, but my good friend in America, Professor Arthur Hawkins, owns one. We met at an archaeological site in Egypt years ago. Let me get you his contact information." He disappeared into the back of the store to get his address book, leaving the four teenagers in a tense silence. Ever since Noah's rebuff, Joey had crossed his arms and stood glaring by Seto's side. Yugi was the only who seemed determined to uphold friendly, polite conversation.

"We just saw you on the TV. Those Duel Arenas look really neat!"

"I know." Noah smirked, a devious glint in his eye that sent an involuntary shiver run down his spine. "If you like, you three can test them out for yourselves at the new KaibaLand attraction before it opens."

"Really? That would be so cool!" Yugi enthused, even as Yami warned him to be wary of things that seemed too good to be true, because they usually weren't true at all.

"It was just completed and it needs to be tested. Come by Saturday morning and I'll let the guards know to be expecting you.

"Wow, thank you so much!"

"Here you go," Solomon said as he returned and handed Noah a slip of paper. Kaiba left as soon as he pocketed the paper, without even a thank you.

"Grandpa, why did you tell him that you don't have the card?" Yugi asked once Noah was speeding away in his limo.

"Because someone like him does not understand that he must trust in the heart of the cards," he answered his grandson seriously. "I can see his greed in his eyes. Besides, it was meant for someone else." He pulled a small box out from under the counter, looking at Seto. "I was going to save this one for last, but since you brought it up, here it is, Seto's soul card." He pushed the box across the counter to Seto who reached for it hesitantly. He opened the box and gasped softly, just staring.

"It requires great sacrifice to play the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but with the right cards and the right circumstances, it can become unstoppable. In its purity and perfection, it cannot be made to turn against its master. Like the Dark Magician, it is fiercely loyal to its one true master."

"You're… giving this to me?" Seto asked, stunned.

"Yes. It's your destiny." Solomon gave the brunette a knowing smile.

"I don't believe in destiny," Seto answered automatically, and as Seth protested that he was being rude, he quickly added, "Thank you you for your generosity."

"Do me, do me!" Joey cried excitedly, and Grandpa Moto started to laugh. Seto and Yugi followed suit, amused by Joey's impatient eagerness.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Joey, it's Ryou."

"Oh, hey man, how are you? We missed you at the Game Shop yesterday, you should have come. You'll never guess who—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Joey, but I'm calling about something really important."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Joey said, starting to get worried. He tucked his phone between his head and his shoulder as he worked on restringing his guitar. He still couldn't believe that he'd broken the D-string. Was he really that clumsy, or was it really that worn out?

"Look, last week, someone… I mean, Seto…" Ryou stammered, struggling with the words.

"When Seto came to pick up his little brother, he was late, even though he'd been running for a while." That was Marik's voice, speaking calmly in his heavily accented Japanese. "We think that someone tried to rape him, and that it wasn't the first time."

"Wow." Joey's fingers fumbled with the string as he heard the news, undoing all that he'd just done on his guitar. Now he had to start over. "That's a heavy accusation, but why are you calling me? Shouldn't you be calling the police or somethin'?"

"Seto said that he couldn't remember anything of the attack, so he didn't want to call the police," Ryou answered with a sigh. "The memory is probably blocked from trauma. I'm calling _you_ because when I asked him if someone had hurt him, he answered, 'No, not this time.' A little later, when I tried to ask him what he meant by that, he asked me if I had been talking to you recently, so I thought you might know something."

"We just want to help him as best we can," Marik added.

Joey was silent for too long, and he knew it. He just didn't know how to answer. He was a terrible liar, and Ryou was like a human lie detector. The only one who could hope to pass a lie by him was Seto. At last, he sighed heavily into the phone.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything," he began, hoping that they didn't try to wheedle any information out of him. He still wasn't sure how much they knew or had caught onto. "Do you remember that day that Seto was absent from school because he was sick, and we went to your house and played that crazy Shadow Game and all that?"

"Of course." Ryou would never forget it. "I knew that he wasn't sick, but I didn't know…"

"Yeah, he was hurt pretty badly the night before, worse than I've ever seen anyone before in person. That… that was what he was referring to." It wasn't exactly a lie: Seto had briefly described his last encounter with Gozaburo to Joey, actually using the word rape to explain what had happened.

"Oh god, I knew it, I knew this had happened," Ryou said, growing audibly distressed. "That's why he hates being touched now. That's why he always keeps his distance and…" Joey could hear him start to sob, and Marik start to comfort him. A twinge of guilt made him wince.

"Please don't tell him that I told you," Joey pleaded. "He'd never trust me again if he knew."

"He all-but told me himself," Ryou pointed out, sniffling. "You just confirmed it for me. No, I won't tell him that you said anything, Joey." He could imagine all too clearly Seto fighting back against his attacker with all his might, but being overpowered, he was rendered helpless and left at the other's mercy.

"Thanks, man." Joey sighed in relief, the pressure of the secret easing. Hopefully, Ryou could help. After all, he'd been Seto's friend longer than anybody else. Who was better suited than Ryou to confront him about his most painful secret? No, it wasn't the full truth, but this was the second-best scenario, maybe even the best possible outcome, because he could get the emotional support he needed without admitting to the full shame of his former situation. "Are you gonna… confront him about it?" Joey asked after a moment.

"I-I don't know yet. I still need to think it all through. I'll let you know when I plan on doing so, though."

"Okay, thanks. And pal, cheer up a little. Seto's a fighter, he'll turn out alright in the end. **Just you wait**."

* * *

"I don't trust that Noah creep," Joey muttered as they approached the new attraction at KaibaLand.

"Hey, I'm with you on that," Seto replied, making Yugi roll his eyes.

"Can you two please stop that? Noah was very generous to allow us to come in and try it out." Yugi seemed to believe that Noah had been genuinely kind, yet Yami was on his guard, aware that his hikari was still incredibly naive. "I just wish that Anzu and Ryou and Marik could have come with us."

"Why couldn't Anzu come again?"

"Today's the first day of her new job," Yugi explained.

"I thought she worked at Burger World."

"She got fired because they found out she was underage," Yugi admitted. "You said that Ryou and Marik wanted to stay home again?"

"Yeah, you know them," Seto said unconcernedly. "Ryou hates big crowds like these, and Marik goes anywhere Ryou goes."

"Well, that's their loss," Joey said, recovering his usual upbeat tone. "Noah may be a creep, but we can still have fun!"

* * *

"Death-T?" Yugi read aloud, shivering a little. "Seto, you're sure you don't know anything about this place?"

"Quite sure," Seto answered, tense with suspicion as he looked around. "KaibaCorp is extremely compartmentalized, and some projects are kept top secret, for whatever reason." He knew why: because Noah Kaiba was a thieving bastard who claimed ownership of what others had worked hard to create. They passed through the doors and were surprised almost immediately.

"Anzu? What are you doing here?" Yugi exclaimed, looking flustered. Anzu looked equally flustered.

"I _work_ here," she answered with a huff. "What are _you_ three doing here?"

"Noah Kaiba stopped by the Game Shop on Monday and invited us to come test it," Yugi explained. "That's why I called and asked you if you had plans for Saturday: I—we—wanted you to come with us."

"I'm here to explain the rules to you all, so listen up!" she snapped, remembering that she was at work and had duties to complete. She tried to put aside the fact that she'd hoped Yugi had called her to ask her out on a date. She proceeded to explain the game, which seemed like a twist on laser tag, but with a more condensed playing field that was more maze-like. The only rule that truly surprised them was that if they lost, they couldn't continue, but had to leave.

"Death-T has five levels: Death T-1, Death T-2, Death T-3, Death T-4, and Death T-5. Completing all five is supposed to be impossible, so you probably won't make it past Death T-3."

"Nyeh, that's what you think!" Joey boasted, puffing out his chest a little as he crossed his arms. "I bet we'll make it all the way to the top!"

Anzu rolled her eyes and wished them luck—because they would need it, she said.

Joey, of course, was still as impatient and impulsive as ever, and nearly lost them Death T-1, despite Seto's warning for him to let their opponents come to them.

Noah watched them from his headquarters within Death-T, where all the security camera video feeds were before him, letting him watching their progress. He sat back in his chair with a disgruntled smirk as they cleared the first level.

"Well, they won't make it much further," he said as Miho stood behind him with her hand on his shoulder. "Although I would enjoy crushing one of them in Death T-5." Specifically, he would enjoy crushing Seto. That was the whole reason he'd invited those dorks to Death-T: he knew Seto was good, and he wanted to enjoy destroying him in this new battlefield.

Adina Kaiba sat quietly in a chair far behind him, wearing a pretty black dress that matched her braided hair perfectly. She was still in mourning for their mother, who'd died a month after Gozaburo. The coroner had declared the cause of death to be a broken heart, which was something that had stuck with the little girl ever since it had happened. She was having a hard time coping without their parents, especially now that Noah had seized power and let it go to his head.

Adina was still trying to distance herself from him, but she couldn't help that she loved her big brother, no matter how nuts he seemed. Yet, if you could die of a broken heart, then she didn't want to love anybody too much. She didn't want to lose someone close to her and be dropped into a pit of grief ever again.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Well, I _finally_ made it to Death-T! Now, I haven't decided who he'll end up with yet, or if he'll have a fling or two along the way, so I want to get a feel for what you all would want to see in this story (though I make no promises).

 _ **Who would you like to see Seto with: Mai, Ishizu, Duke, or Joey?**  
_ Those are the only options, sorry. Everybody else is unavailable. Please post your answer in a review, or, if you want to discuss it in more detail, you can shoot me a PM.

As usual, please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_


	21. S0: Challenger

"What the hell?!" Joey exclaimed, struggling against his restraints. All four of them had their hands locked in medieval stocks so that they couldn't escape the guillotines above them. "What kind of sadistic theme-park attraction is this?"

"Stop squirming like that," Seto ordered sharply. "It won't do you any good. Just let me think this through and we'll be free soon enough."

In front of them were four buttons, each with a unique label: 00, 11, 10, 01. All they knew for a fact was that three of the buttons would cause the blade to drop, and one button would free them.

"How can you act so calm?!" Joey shouted, continuing to babble in panic until Anzu managed to plant to plant a firm kick on his rear end.

"Calm down, you big baby," she scolded in irritation. "None of us will be able to figure this out if you don't shut up!"

"Do you have any ideas, Yugi?" Seto asked, staring down at the numbers, then up at the letters. He was starting to see a pattern.

"No, but you look like you might have a thought about this," Yugi answered nervously. Seto felt bad for him, the poor little pacifist trembling with fear.

"Maybe..." Seto was hesitant to say anything in case he was wrong. They only had one chance to get this right while keeping them all in one piece.

"Well, what are you thinking?" Yugi asked. Focusing on the puzzle itself helped him to maintain some degree of composure.

"The answer is eleven," Seto said, and he could feel Seth agreeing with him. He reached to push the button, but Anzu's voice stopped him.

"Wait! Don't touch that!" she cried. "How do you know? Explain it to us."

"Well, I've been working with computer programming a lot, so I'm used to seeing computer data bytes everywhere," Seto began, only to be interrupted.

"What's a data byte?" Joey asked, still looking nervous, but restraining himself from panicking so as to avoid another kick from Anzu, whose eagle eyes fixed him with a stern look.

"A bit is the smallest unit of computer data," Seto explained with a sigh. "It's composed of a single digit that has one of two values: zero or one. A byte is any set of multiple bits. These," he said, pointing down at the buttons and numbered buttons, "Are binomial bytes to me, not just numbers. And those," he pointed up at the letters, "Cumulatively, form a byte. Break the lines and circles down into pairs, and you have the same four binomial bytes: 10, 11, 00, 01. You could also look at it as the permutations of 0, 1, choose two, allowing for repeats, as a part of the branch of math called combinatorix—"

"Enough with the nerd talk, just get to the point already!" Joey shouted, making Seto scowl. "I don't see any numbers on the wall, so I still don't understand how you think eleven is the answer."

"You asked me to explain my process, didn't you?" Seto asked sourly.

"I get it now!" Yugi said, his eyes lighting up. "It's eleven because it's the only number distinguished from the others at all. I mean, the fact that it's pointing down makes me kinda nervous, but—"

"So are we certain that's the answer?" Anzu asked, unwilling to pay the price of an incorrect answer.

"Yep," Seto said, reaching down to push the button labeled "11." They all held their breath until they saw Seto be freed. Then they breathed heavy sighs of relief and followed suit.

"How did you figure that out so fast?" Anzu asked, but Seto just shrugged.

"I work for KaibaCorp, and they only hire smart people." He smirked as he turned to face the blond and added, "Sorry, Joey."

"Hey! I could get hired by KaibaCorp if I wanted to be!"

The others laughed good-naturedly, but Joey seemed stuck on that point.

"Not a chance, Joey," Seto taunted with a smirk. "Unless you're applying to be a janitor there."

"Alright, that's it!" Joey shouted, pulling an unsuspecting Seto into a headlock. Seto was only in it for a few moments though before he elbowed Joey in the ribs, causing the blond to wince. Seto seized Joey by his shirt and threw him to the floor so that he landed on his back.

Seto leaned forward, his eyes glinting as he smiled and said, "Remember, Joey, I could still beat you in a fight if I wanted to."

"That's what you think!" Joey grabbed Seto by the shoulders and pulled hard enough to unbalance the brunette, who toppled forward and landed on Joey. He grunted from the force of the impact and Seto's fist caught him in a light blow to the side.

"You knucklehead. Next time, think before you act."

"Alright, you two, break it up," Anzu said at last, exasperated with them. "Enough horseplay. I wanna get out of here with my head on my shoulders, thank you very much, but it seems like the only way we're getting out of here is to keep moving forward." Seto moved off of Joey, getting to his feet, then offering Joey a hand to help him up.

"Onward to Death T-3."

* * *

Blocks were falling from the ceiling and they were struggling to keep up with staying out of the way. There was a door-sized hole in the wall higher up and the floor was covered in a blue and yellow checked pattern.

"Have any of you figured it out yet?" Anzu called as she crouched on a block next to the wall, anxiously watching the ceiling above her head.

"There's _something_ there," Yugi muttered as Joey pulled him up onto the block with him.

"There's _definitely_ a pattern here," Seto said as he stood on a block in the corner. "I just… can't pick it out yet." He was so busy analyzing the patterns that he didn't notice that one was about to fall on top of him.

"Seto, look out!" Joey shouted, alerting him just in time. Seto side-stepped, ducking his head. It was a close call, but he was fine.

 _I've seen this before_ , Seth said broodingly. _I know I have._

"Oh, I'm an idiot!" Seto exclaimed suddenly, bonking his forehead with the heel of his hand. "It's a chess board!" It all started to come together in his mind. He'd been tracking the way the blocks were falling, so now he had to put pieces to the blocks. Once he did that, he could predict where they were going to fall.

"A chess board?" Joey repeated, looking confused.

"Seto, keep your head up!" Yugi called, concerned for the brunette, who didn't seem to hold any concern for himself.

"Anzu, move to B7!" Seto called from his perch as he hauled himself up a neighboring block before the next one fell on top of him.

"What?"

Seto sighed, remembering that not everybody knew chess grids by memory the way he did. "Towards this side!" he clarified. "Yugi, you too. You're about to be squashed."

Yugi looked up, and even though a block wasn't falling on him yet, he decided to take Seto's word for it.

"How the heck are ya' doin' that?" Joey asked, astounded, as he helped Yugi onto a taller stack of blocks.

"It's chess," was Seto's almost humble answer. "All I had to do was figure out where the pieces were, which side they'd come from, and where they were going."

"Ugh," Anzu groaned, putting a hand to the side of her head. "I knew you had a big brain, Seto, but I had no idea that just _trying_ to think the way you do would give me a headache."

"Watch out, Joey!" Seto called, continuing to climb. "You have to keep moving."

Seto was ahead of the others, closing in on the hole nearer the ceiling. Once he was up there, he could guide his friends to join him without being distracted by his own safety.

"I'm almost there," he called down to them. Once he'd hauled himself up into the tunnel, he turned around with every intent of calling out to them, but saw that a wall had closed him off from the room where his friends remained. "Hey, what is this!" He banged his fist against the metal-plated wall. "Let me out!"

 _That's not going to work, genius_ , Seth said at last.

 _Are they going to be alright?_ Seto asked worriedly, filled with a fear like nothing he'd felt before. He was always careful to keep Mokuba safe, so he'd never been in any real danger before. But now his friends _were_ in real danger, and he didn't put anything past Noah Kaiba at this point.

 _"Let me check."_ Seth's spirit disappeared behind the metal-plated door for several moments. When he came back, Seto was tense. _"They're fine, for now. The blocks stopped falling and an exit opened, but I can't know where they're going."_

"As long as they're okay, I guess I can stop worrying," Seto muttered, turning around to look down the dim tunnel. There was a single sign on the wall proclaiming: "Death T-4" with an arrow pointing in the direction of the far exit. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.

"I don't really have a choice but to continue, do I?" Seto said with a sigh. He felt a cool draft of air as Seth put a ghostly arm around his shoulders.

 _"Don't worry, I won't let him do you any harm,"_ Seth assured before letting his visible image dissipate. Seto just nodded and moved forward. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he found himself emerging into an arena with bleachers stuffed full of people. For a moment, he froze. This was like a nightmare to him. While Seto had always striven for excellence, he'd also striven to keep himself out of the spotlight as much as possible. Yet, he still craved recognition for his accomplishments. It was a complicated dynamic that he didn't have the time to figure out with everything else going on in his life.

In the very center of the arena stood a little girl in front of a glass box. She was wearing a frilly black dress and her hair was tied back in a pair of pigtails, but there was something achingly familiar about the lilac tinge of her grey eyes.

 _Why does she look like she could be Mokuba's twin?_ Seth asked, confused.

 _Don't ask me, I don't have a clue who she is,_ Seto responded with all the nonchalance of a verbal shrug.

"Welcome to Death T-4!" she said, spreading her arms as the crowd cheered. "My big brother warned me that a challenger would probably be coming through today."

"Your brother?" Seto repeated, starting to put the pieces together. "You must be Noah Kaiba's little sister, then."

"My name is Adina Kaiba, and you can only advance to Death T-5 if you can beat me in a game of Capsule Monsters!"

"What happens if I can't?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the precocious child.

"Whoever loses shall be subjected to a penalty game of my brother's creation: the experience of death!" she announced, earning another cheer from the crowd.

 _"This is ridiculous; she's just a child. She's far too young to be involved in something so morbid."_ Seth seemed to be truly revolted by her involvement in this "amusement park."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Seto smiled at her confidently. While he didn't have any capsule monsters of his own, he'd played before with Yugi and he knew the rules of the game well enough.

 _"Let me help you,"_ Seth said as Seto followed Adina into the glass box. _"She's being corrupted by the influence of her brother, but she's not too far gone. Allow me to aid you, and we can save her soul."_

 _Alright_ , Seto conceded, trying not to sound so terribly reluctant about it. Seth was right: she _was_ just a child, and if Seto could help keep her from rotting like her brother by allowing Seth to play with him, then he was more than willing to allow it. Seto wasn't above hating someone with all of his being, but he acknowledged souls to be very valuable things indeed (now that he believed in them, that is). Corrupting a soul was equivalent to taking a life, and allowing it was equivalent to causing it. That's how Seto saw the world, and he didn't plan on changing his mind about that. As he and Seth merged, he felt a sensation of unity and wholeness come over him, something that he couldn't explain unless Seth's words—that Seto was his reincarnation—were true.

"Game on!"

The table used some of Seto's holographic technology, and that irked him a bit, causing Seth to remind him to stay focused.

Meanwhile, Anzu, Joey, and Yugi were watching the game of CapMon on a screen while they sat inside a prison cell somewhere beneath the arena.

"Come on, Seto! Beat that little brat! Yeah!" Joey cheered loudly.

"Pipe down, or you're not allowed to watch it at all!" The security guard watching over them seemed cross, but then again, who could blame him? At the moment, he was a glorified babysitter for some rowdy teenagers.

"Do you really think that Seto can beat Noah Kaiba in Death T-5?" Anzu asked Yugi, concern apparent in her azure eyes.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Yugi answered with a sigh. "For now, he just has to beat Adina so that we can go free. Then we can support him in his duel with Kaiba."

* * *

 **Author Notes** : First of all, a big thank you to everybody who voted for who they preferred Seto's love interest to be! Everything that was voted for will be acknowledged in some way, shape, or form in this fic. ^u^ Everybody's happy, yay!

So, I'll admit, my Death-T research was spotty at best. If you ask me what really happened, I would only be able to give you some general info and no details. I hope that makes this AU retelling of the Death-T arc interesting instead of making me sound utterly ignorant. ^_^' As for details I don't give, like how Death T-1 happened, or how they got into the guillotines in the first place, assume that whatever's canon carries over to this.

As always, _**please review**_ and tell me what you think of where it's going, because I am a wretchedly needy author who needs constant support in order to continue writing. :D


	22. S0: Crushed

Adina and Seto each started with six capsule monsters, hers higher leveled than his. Seto figured that was part of the challenge, since it greatly reduced your chances of winning by luck rather than through skill. He approached it like it was a puzzle, Seth working with him and helping him to keep a clear mind. There was no need for panic, after all, even after she claimed his monsters one at a time and the crowd murmured its doubts a bit too loudly. Seto knew what he was doing. He was in control of this game, even though nobody else could tell. One monster left, and he used it to take out all of hers in one fell blow. The crowd gasped in awe and cheered for Seto as he stood, victorious, and left the glass box. He exited through the door behind Amane and started down the runway that lead to an archway with a plaque above it proclaiming "Death T-5."

Then he heard Noah's voice over the loudspeaker and whirled around. Kaiba's face was large on the big screen that had magnified the gameboard for the audience.

"You've failed me, Adina," he glowered, his sister cringing in her seat. "Time for the penalty game." That was all he said before his image disappeared and monstrously grotesque holograms filled glass chamber. Adina screamed and Seto darted forward, daring to enter it again. Once he was inside, he realized why Adina was screaming: it wasn't just the sight of the monsters, but the sounds of their snarls and their chomping jaws and wild screeches as they closed in on the terrified child. Seto lifted Adina into his arms and carried her out as quickly as he could. The audience cheered again as Seto emerged with Adina, stirred by the noble gesture. He set her down after taking several steps, making sure that she was standing steadily before he released her.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"Y-Yeah," she murmured, looking down. Her eyes flicked up to his face and she added, "Thank you for getting me out." She stuck out her hand to him and he shook it politely. "Thank you for the match. You're really good at Capsule Monsters," she mumbled, still looking rather shaken up. "I have to go." And with that, she hopped away and out of sight, disappearing to who knew where.

 _He did that to his own little sister,_ Seth said in horror as Seto continued towards the final level of this hellish place.

 _That's one of the many reasons why I hate him,_ Seto answered bitterly. He traveled down another long, dim hallway towards a light at the far end. _I can't wait to get out of here._

 _We need to teach him a lesson, first, though,_ Seth said darkly. _He needs to learn that he can't just play with people's lives like this, like it's all just a game._

* * *

"Well, gentlemen," Noah said as he addressed the Big Five. "It looks like your efforts were not enough to stop him from reaching the final level. I'm rather disappointed in you, but we'll discuss this later, after I finish him off." He stood from his chair and left the nerve center for the entire Death-T attraction. He had a pest to exterminate.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Seto and Noah were glaring at each other across the Duel Arena in an even larger stadium than where he'd faced Adina.

"This ends here," Seto asserted as he shuffled his deck and set it down to the right-hand side.

"I agree." Noah must have been wearing colored contacts, because his eyes were now a disturbing yellow shade that made his eyes look vaguely reptilian. "After all, this is the final stage, and I am the final boss, not to mention _your_ boss." Noah chuckled as Seto scowled at him.

"Enough talk. It's time to duel!" The crowd went crazy over Seto's words, and the two teenagers drew their starting hands.

 _You need to calm down, Seto,_ Seth cautioned.

 _I'm fine,_ Seto growled mentally.

 _You're not fine. You're filled with rage and hatred, and—_

 _Can you blame me?_ Seto snapped angrily, proving Seth's point that he was in a dangerous mood. _After everything he and his father have done to me, am I supposed to be his best friend?_

 _You know that's not what I'm saying,_ Seth said sternly. _I don't want you to lose focus or do something impulsive because you're distracted by your emotions. Let us fight this duel together. It will ensure our success._ Seto could already feel the spirit's cool, serious presence creeping up to share control and consciousness with Seto, leaving him with little choice in the matter.

 _You always have a choice,_ Seth said quietly, Seto detecting a faint note of sadness in his voice. _Never think that I will force you to do anything or disobey your wishes unless you're not in your right mind._

Seto just answered with quiet assent, accepting the chill of calm that flooded him as Seth straightened up, lifting his chin a little as he faced their opponent with serene self-confidence.

"Hey, Seto!" Joey's voice made Seth look off to his left, where he saw Yugi, Joey, and Anzu standing just inside the arena, held back from approaching the duelists by a pair of security guards.

"Beat that Noah creep, Seto!" Joey shouted, cheering on his friend with complete disregard for those in the grandstands who might prefer Noah to win.

Seth sighed in relief when he saw that their friends were alright. If anything had happened to them because of all this _—_ Seto's antagonism towards Noah, Noah's grudge against him, their mutual desire for revenge _—_ he would feel horrible.

Only a couple of turns into the duel, it became apparent to anyone with half a brain that they had some kind of personal history, that this wasn't their first time encountering each other.

"I guess when you're not as rich as me, it's harder to get good cards," Noah mocked, his arrogance grating on Seto's patience, which was wearing thin.

"A _true_ duelist would know that having good cards is only a small part of the game." Seth's words made Noah scowl as he laid a card face-down. "A _true_ duelist also knows better than to underestimate his opponent. You wouldn't want to make that mistake twice, would you?" Seth allowed himself a small smile as Noah reacted with visceral rage to his comment. "Not after what happened last time."

While Joey kept shouting encouragement to Seth, Anzu turned to Yugi with a worried expression.

"Last time?" she whispered. "What's he talking about?"

Yugi shrugged; he had no answer for her. As she turned back to watching the duel, Yugi studied his friend carefully. He could tell that there was something different about him, and he couldn't help but remember Seth. _He must be helping him with the duel,_ he decided. _Just like you help me with mine, Pharaoh._

 _Indeed,_ Yami answered. _Seth is wise and powerful, I can sense it, but we need not fear him. He proved himself our ally when we met him, and the evil I sense in this room comes from a different source._ Yami gently turned Yugi's attention toward Seth's opponent, and Yugi mentally nodded in acknowledgment. After all, anybody who conceived of something like Death-T had to be messed up. He looked back at Seth, studying him out of curiosity.

He seemed calmer and less agitated than Seto's usual self. There was a noble pride in his posture and a frostiness in his voice each time he rejected one of Noah's attempts to goad him into anger. His facade did slip for one moment, revealing ever so briefly a deep rage unlike anything Yugi had ever seen. Seth quickly regained his composure, resuming the stern expression he'd worn previously.

"Stay focused, Seto!" Yugi called in encouragement. "Don't let him mess with your head!"

Six or seven turns in, and they seemed to be evenly matched. There was no clear victor as of yet, since both duelists were impressing the audience with strategies and card combinations that they'd never seen before.

Seth used Ring of Defense and Ring of Destruction together masterfully, even as Noah exhibited some of his own trademark moves. Seto had studied Noah's dueling strategies on the side while he'd been working on making KaibaCorp's card database compatible with and accessible to the Duel Arena holographic projection software. Noah was using his spirit deck, doing his best to replenish his life-points even as Seth fought to beat him down and prevent him from doing so. At each strategic turning point, Noah would attempt a big move, only to have Seth undermine and undo his work, thereby protecting his own monsters and life-points. Noah wasn't world champion for nothing, though, and more than once he was able to save himself from the prospect of certain defeat.

The whole stadium could feel the tension when Noah, unable to restore his life points any longer, took out Seth's remaining monsters, which took a decent chunk out of his life-points. It looked like the challenger might lose, yet he'd earned the support of many in the audience and they didn't _want_ to see him lose. Seth had good cards in his hand, cards that could work together to form a devastating result for this duel, but he was missing the final, necessary piece he needed to make this work.

 _Come on,_ Seto wished hard as he and Seth placed his fingers on top of his deck. _Heart of the cards, don't fail me now..._ He drew his card. One look at it, and he couldn't help but smile widely.

"Looks like we've reached the end, Noah!" Seth smirked as he felt his chest swell with pride. "I've enjoyed this duel, but as they say, nothing lasts forever. Be prepared to lose." Seto still wished to shout some choicer words at the other teen, but Seth held him back from doing so, just as he'd been doing for the entirety of the duel.

"Don't be so sure! I'm the world champion, and don't you forget it!"

"You won't be champion for much longer!" Seth threw down his new card. "I summon Lord of Dragons, in attack mode!" The holographic lord appeared in his full majesty as Seth reached for his hand and lay down a magic card. "And, I equip him with Flute of Summoning Dragon, allowing me to summon any two dragons from my hand or deck without making a sacrifice!"

Noah's overconfident grin began to fade from his face as Joey shouted at Seth, "Yeah, now ya got 'im! Take 'im out!"

"And I choose my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" It was a glorious moment as the pair of magnificent Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared in holographic form, stretching their long necks and letting out a pair of fierce cries. Seth felt a shiver of exhilaration akin to what he'd felt thousands of years ago when he would summon the real Blue-Eyes. The crowd went crazy at the appearance of the two Blue-Eyes. All four of them had dropped off of pubic radar, and for years, nobody but the owners themselves had known where any of the four Blue-Eyes White Dragons were or who owned them. Even so, nobody had known where all of them were.

Joey's jaw dropped while Yugi gasped, dumbstruck.

"Isn't that a really rare card?" Anzu asked. Yugi nodded. "Then how does he have two of them?"

"Grandpa gave him one, but I don't know about the other," Yugi answered, still staring up at Seth and the holograms.

Seth savored the look of fear and panic on Noah's face. He didn't like him anymore than Seto did, he just had his anger under control.

"Now, Blue-Eyes, white lightning attack!"

The dragons sprang into action to do their master's bidding, taking out the two monsters on Noah's side of the field and shrinking his remaining life-points. At Seth's command, the Lord of Dragons dealt one final blow to Noah's life-points before Seth played a magic card that restored some of his own life-points. Another attack like that, and he'd be finished.

Noah scowled in disdain, but deep down, he was furious. He drew a card from his deck and was frustrated that he didn't have any monsters in his hand or any cards that would be helpful in this situation. How had this happened? It was like all of the cards he needed had been purposefully put on the bottom of his deck so that he'd never get to them. He laid two cards face-down with a sly grin before ending his turn.

 _Those cards are a bluff,_ Seto said triumphantly. _This duel is ours._

 _What makes you so sure?_ Seth asked.

 _Did you see his face when he drew his card? He was disappointed, and though it didn't show, he didn't look excited by the card either. He only looked devious once he had several moments to think about it._

"Blue-Eyes, wipe out his remaining life-points with white lightning attack!" Seth commanded confidently. Seto had been right; Noah's face-down cards _were_ a bluff and as such were entirely incapable of helping him. Otherwise, he would have activated them when Seth attacked him.

The crowd roared with approval and amazement. The Duel Monsters World Champion had been defeated and replaced, and by the bearer of the Blue-Eyes no less. They were all excited by the change in power, all curious about where the Blue-Eyes had come from. They were no concern of Seth's.

Noah stood still, stunned as he stared into space. He'd lost. He'd actually lost to that poor, pathetic urchin who, not that long ago, had all but been a sex slave to Gozaburo Kaiba. He couldn't understand it, not one bit. Growling, he picked up the next card on the top of his deck, just to see what he would have gotten. It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he'd gotten from that little blond-haired girl. Looks like he went to all that trouble for nothing. In his frustration, he tore his card in half.

"I told you before, Noah," Seth said grimly, noting Noah's actions. "You will never be a true success until you learn to respect your cards." Not even the weakest card in the game deserved to be torn in half.

"Screw you!" Noah shouted as he threw the card pieces on the ground, an ingracious loser if ever there was one. "I was a success before you came along!"

"You became a success the same way your father did: by extorting those who serve you and placing no value whatsoever on the lives of others. You need to learn a lesson, Noah Kaiba," Seth said darkly, Seto silently cheering him on. He wanted to see Noah suffer for his crimes. He wanted to see Noah suffer, period.

"Now you're going to make me suffer the experience of death, aren't you?" Noah asked, actually starting to look nervous. That was part of the rules for Death T-5, but Noah had never counted on being the one to lose.

"I think I have a better penalty game for you," Seth said with a small grin. He extended one arm, fingers splayed and palm towards Noah. Seto recognized the gesture, and couldn't help but feel smug satisfaction as he realized what was about to happen. "Mind Crush!"

Noah screamed in horror as his eyes went wide, tense for a few moments before his body went slack, leaning back in the chair as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

Seto breathed out a sigh of relief, then stood and descended from the Duel Arena. Just like that, he was relaxed again, no longer looking like he was carved of marble with a soul of ice. Yugi and company rushed towards him with awe and congratulations, which Seto accepted a little stiffly, but gratefully.

"How did you get _two_ Blue-Eyes White Dragons?" Joey asked in shock.

"One of them is from Yugi's Grandpa, as you know," he answered. "Do you remember when I told you that I won a rare card in a chess game?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," Anzu remarked.

"So, you won the other Blue-Eyes in that chess game?" Yugi asked. "Who was the game against anyways?"

Seto looked over at Noah, and the others followed his gaze.

"So, you beat the chess champion at chess, and you beat the Duel Monsters champion at Duel Monsters, and they just happened to be the same guy…" Anzu mused aloud. "That isn't just a coincidence."

"That makes _you_ the new Duel Monsters champion, doesn't it?" Yugi asked excitedly. "It _was_ an official duel, after all."

"I... guess so," Seto answered a little hesitantly. _I hope there's not too much publicity about this,_ he thought to himself _,_ but Seth heard anyways. As Joey and Yugi got excited about their friend's new title, Seto walked quietly over to where Adina, who'd been watching the duel, had reached her brother and started to cry. He joined her on the platform and she looked up, her eyes full of tears.

"He wasn't alway like this, you know," she said quietly, stifling her tears. "He used to be a good brother. My dad put a lot of pressure on him... but now he's gone, and so's Mom... Is he going to come back?" She looked so utterly pitiful as something struck Seto's mind: he might have single-handedly orphaned this little girl.

"Yes, he's going to come back," he assured as Seth fed him the words.

"What happened to him?" Adina sniffled, trying to put a brave face on things.

He still didn't understand the "Mind Crush" as well as Seth did. "Have you ever bitten into a shiny apple to find that the core is all rotten?"

She nodded.

"His heart is kind of like that right now. He needs to find the rotten pieces and throw them out before he can put his heart back together again. He'll wake up some day, but I don't know when. Are there people to take care of you in the meantime?" He asked, concerned for her well-being now that he'd incapacitated her only living family member. "If not, you can come stay with my brother and I." He wasn't sure if it was the wisest decision or even the safest place for her, but he owed her the offer. It was the least he could do.

"Yes, I'll be taken care of," she answered with a sniffle, much to Seto's relief. "The staff at the mansion have always been kind to me." She looked up at her brother, then started to sob again.

"Hey now, don't cry. He'll be alright," Seto said gently, starting to feel terrible. Adina turned towards him and threw her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. He was stiff for a moment, but as he gently held her in his arms, he kept repeating in his mind that children were safe, children meant no harm.

"D'aw," Anzu said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "Seto's so cute with little kids."

"You think he's cute?" Yugi asked softly, but Anzu didn't hear. He considered this for a few moments, not really sure he liked that.

The three friends approached Seto and Adina, standing just below the terminal where Noah still sat in a catatonic state. When Seto had sufficiently comforted Adina so that she was no longer hysterical, he carefully passed her off to Anzu, who was more than happy to carry and comfort the little girl. Seto, meanwhile, picked up the torn Blue-Eyes card.

"Do you know where he got this card, Adina?" Seto asked. It must be stolen; that was the only decent explanation.

"America," she answered uncertainly from Anzu's arms. "Somewhere in California, I think. He mentioned the name of Hawkins."

"That must be Grandpa's friend!" Yugi exclaimed as he realized which card it was. "They were talking on the phone last night, and apparently he gave his Blue-Eyes to his granddaughter, but it was stolen from her a few days ago."

"Then we'll have to return it," Seto said resolutely, carefully putting the torn card pieces away with his own deck. "I don't know about you all, but I'm kind of wiped out after all the excitement. Maybe we could call Ryou and ask if it's okay to go visit him and Marik? Besides, Mokuba wanted to hear all about the new attraction. I'll definitely have quite a story to tell him."

"Mokuba?" Adina repeated, looking up at him suddenly. "You're Mokuba's brother?"

"Uh, yeah, when did you meet him?" Seto asked, wondering how it could have happened without him knowing about it.

"When you brought him to KC HQ on his birthday," Adina answered, smiling faintly. "We met on the empty floor where the old shooting range is. He said that his brother worked there but he had a meeting at the moment. We played until he had to leave."

"Huh, he never mentioned it," Seto muttered thoughtfully. "Are you sure that you're going to be alright?"

She nodded, looking a little hopeful. "I can wait for him. I believe in my big brother, and if you say that he'll wake up someday, then I trust you." She nodded to Anzu, and the teenager put the little girl down.

"Alright, let's go home," Seto said, starting to come down off the adrenaline high. Adina went over to him and gave him a quick hug first, though, making him blush a little.

"Is he really going to be a better person when he wakes up?" she asked.

"Yes, I promise." That was Seth speaking. Seth made promises much more easily than Seto.

"Then thank you." She went away, calling to a man that Seto realized he'd seen before: Roland. He'd overseen their chess game, and he'd seemed like a good man. Seto hoped he did a good job of protecting Adina, since Seto felt strangely responsible for her now.

"Alright, let's go."

"Make way!" Joey shouted as he forced a way for them through the crowd. "Certified genius and Duel Monsters World Champion coming through!"

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Sorry that this chapter took so long; both Noah and Seto were really rude in the original version of this duel, and I ended up having to rewrite it. If you follow my Deleted Scenes collection, you'll have already seen that I posted the original, uncut, alternate version of their duel there.

You'll start seeing hints of Seto shippings in the next chapter, which will also be the last chapter of Season Zero. Season One will begin a subplot about Seto's love life, which I hope you all will enjoy, because it will prominently feature a certain blond boy, as well as a couple other potential love interests. ;)

I may up the rating for Season One, but I haven't decided yet. Let me know in your reviews if you would prefer me to eschew the smut, because if it would bother some of my readers, I'd rather leave it out. If nobody says anything, then there'll probably be a few bits of it in there. So, please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters**_ , and faster progress!


	23. S0: Reminisce

"You shoulda seen 'im!" Joey exclaimed that afternoon as they took turns narrating the events of Death-T to Ryou, Marik, Mokuba, and Amane. "His brain is like a computer!"

"I like to think that the human mind is actually more advanced and complex than any computer could ever be," Seto commented quietly to no one in particular.

"I may be good at puzzles, but Seto was faster than me this time around," Yugi conceded with a smile. Then he turned to Seto and said, "I look forward to our next real duel, Champion."

"I do as well," Seto answered with a smile.

"Does this mean that you're famous?" Mokuba asked, his eyes round.

"I sure hope not," Seto said, looking uncertain. "I guess we'll find out, though."

"You seemed to know Kaiba pretty well," Joey commented, looking suspicious as he remembered the way the two had interacted.

"I've run into him a few times in the past," Seto answered evasively. Mrs. Bakura glanced over at the teens from where she was preparing dinner in the kitchen. She was listening to the whole conversation, whether they realized it or not.

"But how?" Anzu asked. "He's not the kind of person you just see on the streets."

"Yeah, how did you challenge him to that chess game a few months back?" Yugi asked. Seto felt trapped, but he tried not to show it, so he started to reset the chess board that had been left on the coffee table, focusing on it to keep him calm.

"I was at KaibaCorp to ask about their hiring policies and see if they needed any computer nerds for their IT department," he said calmly, slowly, hoping that he sounded convincing. "I ran into him there, and he was incredibly rude, which I didn't take very kindly to. One insult led to another, and we decided to settle the matter with our wits instead of our fists. I happened to have heard rumors that he was one of the owners of the Blue-Eyes, so when he acted so confident that he would win, I challenged him to put it up as a bet. If I won, I got the card, and if he won, then I could never be employed at KaibaCorp. Those were the terms we agreed upon." It was partly true, and he felt bad for lying, but the alternative was unbearable.

"That's kinda risky, don't ya' think?" Joey observed.

"I won, didn't I?" Seto pointed out with a smile.

"True," Yugi murmured thoughtfully. Seto rotated the chess board another 180' so that the white pieces were on his side. He moved his pawn to D3. He look up at the others and smiled a little, saying, "Anyone up for chess?"

"Sure, I'll play you, Seto," Ryou said, speaking up for the first time in a while. He settled himself across the board from Seto with a smile. "Let's see if I can't give you a run for your money."

As they played chess, the others talked about more mundane things. Since it was summer and they didn't see each other as often as during the school year, they had some catching up to do. Anzu asked Marik if he planned on attending Domino High in the fall, and he answered that if he could make more progress with learning to read Japanese, he would be. Ryou asked Anzu if she'd found a dance studio where she could take lessons yet, which she answered with a regretful negative.

"Dance lessons are just too expensive," she sighed. "And now I suppose I ought to find a new job, since working at KaibaLand turned out to be a nightmare." She made a face as she recalled the repulsive location.

"I'm sure there are other things you could do there that don't involve a sadistic attraction that could potentially kill its participants," Seto said cheekily, glancing up at her as she threw him an annoyed look.

"No thanks. I think I'm done with KaibaCorp, at least as soon as I find another place to work," she retorted. "I don't understand how you can still work there after all of this."

"It's quite simple, actually," Seto answered, moving his knight to corner Ryou's pawn. In his mind, though, his knight was Critias from the Shadow Game. "It pays well and I'm doing something that I not only enjoy, but something I'm good at."

"What _are_ you working on?" Joey asked curiously. "I keep forgetting to ask."

Seto froze while in the process of moving his bishop. Dare he tell them? Noah Kaiba was catatonic, functionally brain-dead. Besides, if he swore them all to secrecy, it would never get back to Noah that he'd told.

"Seto?" Marik asked, looking worried.

"It's a secret, so you have to promise not to tell anybody, okay?" He looked around at all of them and received nods around the circle, accompanied by confused expressions. He moved his bishop, Priest Seth, across the board.

"You know Duke Devlin, right?" he asked.

"I know of him, and I've seen him around school, but I don't know him that well," Yugi answered.

"Well, he and I invented the Duel Arena," Seto said quietly. "We'd been working on it since school let out, and we finished beta testing it earlier this month."

"But on the news they said that Noah creep invented it," Joey protested suspiciously. Seto just shrugged.

"It's a publicity stunt. We signed contracts agreeing to give him the rights to claim being its creator, but we still get the monetary compensation that's due us." That was a lie, but if it helped them keep their mouths shut about it, then he didn't feel that bad about it. "Just don't tell anyone, because if word of it gets out, that would hurt the company's image, which could put me out of a job."

"How did you produce it that fast?" Anzu asked in awe.

"When you put two geniuses together, great things happen," Seto said a little smugly, causing Joey to grin and spring out of his chair.

"That's my pal!" he boasted, throwing a careless arm around Seto affectionately just as he went to move his queen, Kisara. The gesture had been a surprise to the brunette, though, prompting him to lash out without thinking. It wasn't violent and he didn't hit him that hard, but it was enough to start another playful wrestling match between the two of them.

"Wait, hold on a moment," he told Joey, causing the blond to pause so that Seto could move his queen.

"Checkmate," he said, causing Ryou to blink in surprise. "Good game," he said, shaking hands with Ryou briefly before Joey pulled him back to the bout.

Yugi started chuckling as he looked on at his two pugnacious friends. "Can you believe how far we've all come?" he asked, turning to Anzu with a happy light in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, look at us." He spread his arms as he gestured to the six of them: Joey and Seto wrestling on the floor, Ryou sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee-table as he tried to decipher how he'd lost in less than ten turns, Marik sitting curled up on the chair, himself and Anzu side by side on the couch. "We've all gotten so close in the last several months. Isn't it great?" He seemed so excited that Joey and Seto released each other to look up at him curiously. "Like you two," Yugi said, gesturing to the two tallest teens in the group. "You used to hate each other. Joey used to be a bully and a rebel, but now he's our friend, and he doesn't break so many rules anymore." Joey blushed with embarrassment as Yugi grinned at him proudly. "And Seto, you used to be antisocial—"

"Asocial, not antisocial," Seto corrected uncomfortably, the distinction important to him. "I was never a sociopath."

"Well, you know what I mean," Yugi continued, unbothered by Seto's interruption. "We never saw you anywhere but school because you were always too busy working, even at lunch-time. We couldn't get you to talk about yourself at all, but now we're good friends, and you two have been close ever since you stood up to Coach Trudge together."

Joey and Seto exchanged an awkward glance. Right, that was why they were friends now. No other reason, no other reason at all. And they weren't close as anything other than friends, never had been. Nope. Definitely not. Yet, they both recalled what had happened a week after Joey first discovered Seto's secret, when Joey could still act like a jerk if he wasn't careful and Seto was still bitter about his secret being discovered.

~(*)~

 _"So, your clients…" Joey was disturbingly curious about Seto's profession._

 _"What about them?" Seto asked, irked, as he put his textbooks in his backpack._

 _"Are they just women?" Seto clearly wasn't going to offer any information, so Joey decided to be direct._

 _"Nope."_

 _Joey thought about that for a few moments, then asked, "What does it feel like to—"_

 _"To kiss a man?" Seto finished his question easily and let out a cold laugh. He was sick of these perverted, insensitive questions, and he decided that he was done talking about it. He left his backpack on the bed and turned around, grabbing Joey by the hair and yanking him into a fierce kiss that made the blond moan. Perhaps Seto held it for too long, perhaps he made it too good, perhaps he shouldn't have used his tongue. But then, perhaps Joey hadn't realized how much he'd enjoy it._

 _"That's what it feels like," Seto declared, releasing Joey and turning around to pick up his backpack. Joey began to grin slyly._

 _"Actually, I was going to ask, what's it feel like to fuck a man?"_

 _Seto turned around and smacked him, hard. "Go fuck one yourself, Wheeler." Then he marched out of the motel room. Joey just lay there for a few moments, stunned._

 _"Wow," he breathed out, feeling more than a little starstruck._

 _The following Monday, Joey apologized to Seto before class in as subtle a way as he possibly could._

 _"I'm sorry about what happened on Friday," he said in a low voice. "I was way outta line, and it won't happen again. Honest, it won't."_

 _Seto breathed deeply, then nodded without looking up from his book. "Don't mention it," he muttered, and they both dropped the subject. It never came up between them again._

~(*)~

"And Marik," Yugi resumed, smiling at the surprised Egyptian who hadn't really expected to be mentioned. "I know you haven't been here very long, and we're still getting to know you better, but I want you to know that we're all happy you're here." Yugi beamed, and Marik's face softened into a hopeful smile. "And I hope you consider us all your friends as much as we consider you one of ours. Friends support each other no matter what, so if you're ever in trouble, I hope you never hesitate to ask us for help."

"Thank you, Yugi," Marik replied warmly as Ryou shifted away from the coffee-table and leaned his back against the couch while staying seated on the floor, now sitting right by Marik. "That's very kind of you to say."

"And I mean it, too," Yugi insisted, hoping that Marik understood that his words were entirely sincere. Ryou glanced up at Marik, smiling reassuringly as Marik returned his gaze fondly, both of them remembering how uncomfortable and lonely Marik had felt when he'd first come to Domino.

~(*)~

 _Marik sat huddled on the bathroom floor as he tried to smother the sounds of his tears. He felt so alone, and he didn't know what to do about it. He was a stranger in a strange land, and this was a whole new world for him. Even though it was frightening and different, he still wanted to be a part of it. He just didn't know how._

 _"Marik? Are you alright?" Ryou's quiet, concerned voice spoke hesitant Egyptian Arabic into the darkness as he pushed the bathroom door open and poked his head in. It was after ten at night and he'd gotten out of bed to go downstairs and get a drink of water, but on his way back, he'd heard Marik's crying as he passed the bathroom._

 _"I'm not alright, Ryou," Marik answered dismally, the other teen appreciating his honesty. Ryou stepped in and plucked a few tissues from the box of Kleenex, handing them to the other boy as he sat beside him._

 _"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked softly after Marik blew his nose and dried his cheeks and eyes._

 _"I'm scared." His voice broke, and he swallowed hard before continuing. "I feel so alone here, and everything is so different. I miss my brother and sister. I miss my homeland. Even though I wasn't always happy there, at least I understood it. At least it made sense. I don't… I don't understand this place at all." He pressed a clean tissue to his eyes again as they started tearing up once more. Ryou pulled Marik into a warm hug, sympathy swelling his chest as he pushed down the urge to cry on Marik's behalf._

 _"You'll see them again, I promise," he whispered, trying to comfort him. He continued in Arabic, interspersing it with Japanese when he needed to, simply because he lacked the Arabic vocabulary to express everything he needed to say. "It's not goodbye forever, just goodbye for a little while. My father says that once they get everything figured out back in Egypt, they'll be able to join you here, and my father wouldn't just say that to make you feel better. He means it."_

 _"Your father is a good man," Marik said softly, smiling a little as tears slipped down his cheeks. Ryou handed him a few more tissues before continuing._

 _"In the meantime, we can call them on the phone every week and you can talk to them so that you don't feel so sad while you're apart. It's okay to miss them, but I still hope you learn to like it here." He paused, then asked, "Does that make sense?" He was still unsure about some of his Arabic._

 _Marik looked up at him with a somewhat puzzled expression, but nodded. "I think I understood most of that," he said carefully, and Ryou smiled a bit, pleased to hear it._

 _"Do you feel better now?" Ryou asked hopefully._

 _"Only a little," Marik admitted. "I'm grateful to your father and the others for saving us and for taking me here so that I could be healed"—Marik was still on the mend from a severe respiratory infection, for which he'd been treated at the hospital in Tokyo when he first arrived in Japan—"But being here is still… overwhelming."_

 _"Then we'll take it one step at a time, okay?" Ryou said with a smile, taking Marik's hand in his own. "You don't have to feel alone, because I'll be your friend. My friends will be your friends too, when the time comes for you to meet them. They're all really nice, and I think you'll like them."_

 _"Will they like me?" Marik asked nervously. He'd never had to worry about what other people thought of him before, and he was unaccustomed to feeling insecure._

 _"I'm sure they will," Ryou said with a confident smile. He pulled Marik close again, the two embracing for a long while until the Egyptian felt that he had recovered himself and that the urge to cry was past. When they finally parted, Ryou stood and helped his guest to stand as well. Before he could leave, though, Marik spoke up._

 _"Ryou, back home, I'm used to sleeping with my siblings," he said suddenly. "It's still strange sleeping all alone in a big bed, and I'm not used to it. May I... sleep with you tonight?"_

 _Ryou found his innocent request touching. How could he possibly say no to him? "Of course you can, Marik," Ryou answered with a smile, taking him by the hand and leading him to bed. "As long as you don't mind that I have to get up early to go to school."_

 _"I don't mind."_

~(*)~

"Anzu," Yugi said, turning to her who sat beside him, "You told us about your dream of being a dancer in America. You'd never trusted anybody with that secret before, but now that you've told us, we can help you achieve it!" Yugi's cheeks looked a little pink as he gazed up at his best friend, and Seto didn't miss the significance of it. He exchanged a knowing look with Ryou, who seemed pleased to finally see some kind of requital for Anzu's advances. The pale-haired teen looked up, though, as Yugi called on him next.

"Ryou, you showed us the diorama you've been working on for so long."

Ryou blushed a little as he recalled their Monster World Shadow Game in detail. He hated thinking about it, and tried his best not to; thinking about it again now caused him to unconsciously finger the cord that suspended the artifact around his neck, the Millennium Ring lying hidden under his shirt. Only Marik knew that he still wore it; it was a valuable gift from his father, after all, and there was no safer place for it than on Ryou's person. He still regretted that he'd been incapable of stopping the evil spirit from possessing him and trying to hurt his friends, but he was eternally grateful that those same friends had helped him banish it forever while still preserving Ryou's life.

"You saved us by helping us defeat Zorc, and you sacrificed yourself to defeat the Evil Spirit. We can't thank you enough for that," Yugi continued, his broad smile making Ryou feel a little guilty, since he shouldn't have put them in danger in the first place.

"I'm just glad that he's gone for good," Ryou said with a sigh of relief. "I'm not eager to repeat that experience any time soon." Marik's hand went to Ryou's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, and Ryou put his own hand over Marik's, caressing it appreciatively before Marik linked their hands.

"And thank you, Seth," Yugi said suddenly, addressing the Spirit of the Millennium Rod as he looked at Seto, making the brunette feel uncomfortable. But there was that look in Yugi's eye that told him that it was Yami, not Yugi, speaking. Besides, the inflection in his voice was different. "Your help was invaluable in that Shadow Game."

"You're most welcome, Pharaoh," Seth answered through Seto, the two ancient spirits recalling their first encounter over the diorama table.

~(*)~

 _"So can we trust these guys?" Joey asked dubiously._

 _Seto stared up at his other self uncertainly, and he simply stared back, lifting one eyebrow at him._

 _"Well, Seto, do you trust me?"_

 _"I don't even know your name."_

 _"Seth." He tilted his head in a gesture that was both proud and archaic. "My name is Seth."_

 _"And what's Big Yugi's name?" Joey asked._

 _"I have been called many things over the centuries. Some have called me Yu-Gi-Oh, some have called me Pharaoh." Seth looked over at the one seated beside him, a sad curiosity in his gaze for a moment._

 _"Yes, we can trust them," Yugi said, staring up at his own doppelganger with awe and respect._

~(*)~

In truth, Seth ached to tell his younger cousin his true identity and be reunited with him, but he knew that the time was not yet right. For now, though, being his comrade and friend was enough.

As Mokuba and Amane reentered the house, Seto watched them interact with Ryou's mother, remembering how she and Dr. Bakura had insisted on helping him, even when he was resistant, because they'd known that he needed it. Maybe he disliked that they knew the truth, but he was also immensely grateful for their discretion and their aid in taking care of both him and his little brother. As he also recalled Seth's help when Mokuba had announced that he'd kissed Amane—and his own mortification at the prospect of what followed—he decided that he owed Seth his thanks as well. Besides, Seth had healed him, protected him, guided him. Even when Seto was irritated and upset with him, Seth always remained patient and understanding, knowing that the teen needed to be allowed to express himself to someone, and that he had no discreeter confidante than Seth.

 _Thank you, Seth._

 _And thank you, Seto._

 _For what?_

 _For allowing me to live again, to know you and your brother, to be acquainted with your friends. If you'd chosen to reject me, we would all be in very real danger._

* * *

That night, as Seto and Mokuba walked home, Seto realized that today had been one of his best days to date. His haptephobia was less active than it normally was, he'd been happier than he had any right to expect, he'd gotten to defeat Noah Kaiba in a duel—in front of a crowd, no less. It wasn't just a good day; it was a great day, and Seto felt that he could be satisfied with it.

Seth wasn't about to burst his bubble, even as he sensed trouble brewing for them in the near future. Noah Kaiba wasn't gone from their lives, and he wasn't the only person Seto needed to watch out for. If he acquired fame, he'd have to be careful, for fame was a monster in and of itself. Their father was still alcoholic, Seto was still saving up to get a new apartment in a safer part of town, there was still some unknown party out there who'd assaulted Seto and had yet to be brought to justice. They weren't out of the woods yet. In fact, they were just about to encounter an even darker evil than what they'd seen so far.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Yeah, Joey's totally questioning his sexuality now. XD

Well, this is my version of a reminiscent clip-show for the end of Season Zero while simultaneously working in a friendship speech _and_ giving you added "canon" for past events in the story _and_ incorporating my first nod to puppyshipping, since I got so many requests for it. Am I good, or am I good? ;) Is the puppyshipping going to go anywhere? That depends. It might if I can get Seth to stop acting bratty. _*rolls eyes*_ And when he's not being bratty, he's being a troll. I need to work on his characterization; he's not quite turning out the way he should.

Anyways, please review, because **_more reviews = more chapters!_** See you all in Season One! ;)


	24. S1: Date

**Season One: Did anybody see where I left my star chips?**

* * *

"I'll be taking a couple days off for personal leave next week," Duke said suddenly as he and Seto put the finishing touches on what they'd been working on. For Seto, that meant proofing just a few more lines of code, just a few more, and _then_ he'd be done. Or not. He liked his work, and tended to have a hard time stopping. Besides, a little overtime never killed anybody, right? Meanwhile, Duke was putting away the extra pieces lying on his worktable and hanging up his tools. They were working on what had been named "Duel Disks" by someone higher up in the corporate bureaucracy from the department of product development. They were just prototypes, but they were functional so far.

"If all goes well," Duke continued, "I'll be putting in my two weeks' notice when I get back."

"Really?" Seto asked, looking up at his partner in surprise. He'd thought that their partnership was going well, really well. He couldn't think of there being someone more agreeable or better suited to work with, which made him feel a bit disappointed. He looked back at the computer screen, trying to sort through the strange tangle of feelings in the pit of his stomach.

 _It's okay to just say that you'll miss him because he's your friend,_ Seth advised, speaking directly into Seto's mind and disrupting his train of thought.

"Yeah. It has nothing to do with you," Duke assured, not wanting Seto to think that he was the cause for Duke's departure. "I just don't want to keep working at a place this corrupt, where people's rights to their own inventions are extorted from them and there's almost nobody you can trust. It's stifling, and I can't really stomach it anymore. I didn't want to quit before I knew I had something else to go to, but now it looks like that'll be taken care of."

"Hm, that's too bad."

 _Come on, Seto, you can do better than that,_ Seth goaded. _Tell him you'll miss him._

 _I will do no such thing._

 _Why not?_ Seth asked, wondering if Seto himself could even articulate the answer.

"I can't imagine that you like having your software stolen from you either," Duke pointed out, fidgeting with his dice earring as he prolonged the process of leaving.

"Not at all, but there's no other place for me but here, despite the corruption," Seto answered, eyes glued to the computer monitor.

"KaibaCorp isn't the only gaming corporation in need of innovative programmers, you know."

"Yes, but it's the only one with a branch in Domino City. I'd work for ShroederCorp if I could, since I doubt they could be as bad as all this, but I can't afford to move away for my work, not yet at least. I can put up with it for a little while longer, especially since Kaiba's out of commission and people are still scrambling to figure out what they're going to do while he's gone. For now, they're being a little lax with us, and I figure it would be in my best interest to take advantage of that in order to work on my own projects."

"It's after quitting time, you know," Duke said as he lingered by his worktable, completely ready to leave—except that he was still talking to Seto.

"I know, and they haven't been monitoring our overtime very carefully the past couple weeks." Not since he'd defeated Noah Kaiba in Death T-5. That was all he needed to say for Duke to understand: he was working overtime voluntarily and without permission, trying to rack up as much extra pay as he could get away with before they noticed what he was doing. There wasn't any definitive limit on the amount of weekly overtime you could work that was eligible for pay and a half, so Seto was just getting as much as he could, which included getting to work early and short-changing his lunch breaks. He was doing honest work for the company, so he wasn't being deceptive or wasteful in the use of his time. Given his current financial situation and the fact that they were unlikely to fire him over something so trivial as unapproved overtime, he thought it a wise decision.

Suddenly, Seto felt his desk chair being whirled around, his fingers forcibly removed from the keyboard. There was Duke, his hands on the back of Seto's chair as he leaned over Seto with an amused smile.

"It's five-thirty on a Friday, Seto. I'm not going to be here Monday and Tuesday, and I might not be around for much longer once I do get back. Taking all of that into account, and the fact that you and I never got a chance to properly celebrate the success of the Duel Arena, why don't you and I go out tonight and have a little fun. It'll be nice. I promise you'll enjoy it." Duke's tone was casual, as easygoing as ever.

 _See? He's going to miss you too,_ Seth teased.

"We're too young for clubs." It was the first thing that popped into Seto's head, and since he had prepared nothing else to say, it was also the first thing that popped out of his mouth. He probably could have said something more tactful if Seth weren't distracting him. It surprised a laugh out of Duke.

"I was just referring to dinner, but I know some places we could go afterward that can legally let us in—since that matters to you," Duke added with a wink, releasing Seto's chair and allowing him to save his work and log off the PC.

"I hope you know a good place, because I haven't been out to eat for the longest time," Seto said, pulling on his favorite dark purple trenchcoat as he followed Duke out of their workroom, flicking the lights off and closing the door behind him. Then he quickly texted Ryou that he'd be a couple hours late picking up Mokuba. He was glad to have gotten a new cellphone; his old one had been a line dedicated for scheduling clients, and he couldn't risk anyone he was associated with knowing that number. It would have been a recipe for disaster. So, he'd finally ditched the piece of junk for something a little more decent. This way, if anything ever happened to Mokuba, he could be reached at a moment's notice.

Duke smiled and said, "I know a few places."

It turned out that what he meant by "a few places" was that he knew every place worthy of your patronage in downtown Domino. Seto enjoyed the evening, even though it seemed to pass in a blur of neon lights, loud music, and strange faces. He would say that yes, he had fun, even if he felt oddly confused and conflicted throughout the whole thing. Seth kept saying that it was a date, and Seto kept denying it, feeling too embarrassed to admit that the spirit was probably right.

Duke was equally confused throughout the evening. He liked Seto, he really did, but he struggled to interpret his mixed signals. One moment he'd be laughing and enjoying himself, and the next he'd be withdrawing into himself, getting stiff and unresponsive. Was Seto trying to play hard to get? He doubted it. Seto was too transparent for such a shallow ploy. His next thought was that Seto himself was unsure of what he wanted, and he figured that was the most probable scenario. Good thing he figured it out before he had Seto on his doorstep.

"This was fun," Seto said, looking almost… relieved, or surprised, or both.

"Yes, it was," Duke agreed, grabbing hold of the front of Seto's shirt and pulling him into a kiss before Seto could get all wishy-washy on him. _At least this way he has a chance to see if it's what he really wants,_ Duke thought.

Seto was surprised, and Duke's tugging almost knocked him off-balance, but he recovered his wits in time to put up a hand and rest it on the wall behind Duke's head in order to support them both. He may have been surprised by the kiss, but not so surprised that he didn't return it. He was enjoying it, after all, and that was only the right thing to do.

When Duke finally pulled away a little, they were both faintly panting for air. Seto's mind was still clouded as Duke carefully released him, allowing the brunette to stand up straight and drop his arm from the wall.

"Do you want to come in for a little while?" Duke asked, his voice low and dusky in a way that somehow made it even harder for Seto to think. His emerald eyes seemed to glow in contrast to the street-lit twilight and the washed out colors of anything the shadows touched.

"I-I have to get Mokuba home." It was his first line of defense, however weak he made it sound at the moment. Certainly, he used to leave Mokuba at the Bakura's house until much later times than this in the past.

"It doesn't have to take long," Duke murmured, coming in close so that his lips were only an inch away, allowing Seto to make up his mind before he tried to initiate anything more.

"I… I can't," Seto finally managed to say, gently removing Duke's hands from his shoulders—he couldn't even remember how they'd gotten there—and held them between their chests, forcing a bit of distance between them. "I'm sorry, I'm just not ready for this."

"If you're not ready, then don't apologize," Duke said without a trace of bitterness. In fact, he flashed Seto one of his dazzling smiles and pulled a pen from his pocket, taking Seto's hand and carefully writing his cell number on the inside of his wrist. "When you're ready and I'm back in town, give me a call."

Seto looked down at the phone number and nodded, feeling grateful more than anything else.

"Thank you," he managed, looking up at Duke again as he began to realize just how vulnerable he was at the moment. He hated the vulnerability, but he'd rather enjoyed that which had required it. That posed quite a predicament.

"Don't mention it." Duke pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, then leaned towards his partner and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Seto."

"Goodnight, Duke." Seto managed to find his voice before the other disappeared behind the door. Feeling stunned, aroused, confused, and a little overwhelmed, Seto started walking towards Ryou's house. This was going to be a longer walk than usual, and he was already late, but he felt like it had been worth it.

"I told you it was a date."

Seto rolled his eyes as Seth appeared at his side.

"Why didn't you say yes?" Seth asked, as if he really needed Seto to explain it to him.

"Because that's not something I can do on a moment's notice when I have no clear idea what my relationship is with him, or even if he sees that as having the same significance that I do." Seto checked his watch and sighed. "I needed time to gather my thoughts and get my bearings, so to speak."

"You should have said yes," Seth insisted.

"Well, the offer's still open," Seto said, looking down at Duke's number on his wrist. "I can still say yes if I want to. Although, to be fair, I probably won't," he added, looking troubled.

"Why not? He likes you, you like him. I don't see a problem."

"You know, the way you pretend that you _can't_ read my mind gets annoying sometimes," Seto complained with a roll of his eyes.

"Humor me," Seth replied with a smirk. In truth, he did that sometimes because he thought it was important for Seto to express himself in words, aloud, so that he could understand himself better.

"I'm not ready, just like I told him. I don't want sex right now."

"Your body does, though."

Seto glared at Seth with all the fire and irritation he could muster.

"I'm not wrong." Seth crossed his arms and gave Seto a serious, meaningful glance. "That's why it was _hard_ for you to say no. That's why you _wanted_ to say yes."

"I fail to see how any of this is your business," Seto countered, trying to block the progress of the conversation as a whole.

"It pertains to your happiness; therefore, I am a concerned, involved party whether you like it or not." His excuse sounded almost too perfect.

"Well, I _don't_ like it, and I _don't_ want to talk about it anymore." Maybe a blunt approach would be most effective. "So can we please just drop it?"

Seth nodded grudgingly, and they walked on in silence for a little while.

"You know, it's not natural for a body to go from so much sexual activity to such rigid sexual abstinence as yours has." Seth spoke so calmly, as if this were some kind of normal conversation, as if this were an okay topic for him to just bring up whenever he liked. Seto stopped walking and turned to face Seth, his face starting to turn red.

"Seth, I know you say that we're pieces of the same soul, but you need to respect some boundaries. Next time you wish to talk about this subject, please try to approach it with more… delicacy than you did this time. We're done talking about this for now." Seto turned away and started to walk again, but after a moment, Seth started speaking again.

"I think it's not just a matter concerning your personal life, but I'm afraid it might affect your health as well."

"Did you not hear what I _just_ said?" Seto asked, exasperated.

"And, since it might be a matter of health, and I depend on your body too, then it's of great concern to me that you do what you ought to be doing in order to stay healthy."

"I would swear that I'm talking to a wall," Seto griped as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying that you could have benefited from one night with him."

"Seth, what part of, 'I'm not ready,' don't you understand?" Seto sighed heavily. "Honestly, I swear, you're more pig-headed than Joey sometimes."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!" Seth exclaimed, feeling insulted.

"Yes you are, when you want to be," Seto said sourly. "Now think about _that_ inside your soul room and leave me in peace before I figure out how to banish you on my own so that you can't pull another stunt like this."

Seth pursed his lips, clearly displeased, but obediently disappeared.

 _You deserve to be displeased if you're going to act like THAT,_ Seto thought at him.

 _I can still hear you, you know,_ Seth answered, his voice distinctly grumpy.

 _That's the point. I know you think of yourself as my father, but there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed without mutual agreement. That was one of them. Being pushy like that doesn't make me want to open up to you, so it does us more harm than good when you do that. Just give me some space to breathe and think and pretend that my thoughts are private so that I can figure myself out, okay?_

Seth's acquiescence was more of a sensation than it was a verbal response, and Seto was glad that he didn't protest.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** This chapter is dedicated to all my mastershippers out there! ;)

It's funny how your characters can kinda take control from you for a little while and just run with your story like, "Screw you, we don't need an author. We can write this ourselves!" That's… kinda what happened with Seto and Duke and Seth in this chapter.

It was originally going to be this short little thing where Duke asked Seto out on a date, and Seto awkwardly says no, and Duke is super nice about it and they had a cute moment and that was gonna be it. But then Duke came off way too casually charming, and Seto was too blind to say no, then Seth decided to take the role of sex-ed teacher. I don't even know. O_O You'd think I would know, because I wrote it, but… *shrug*

Anyways, please review, because _ **more reviews = more chapters!**_ Curious question: _Do you think Seto should have said yes?_ _Why or why not?_


	25. S1: Invitation

Three weeks after the Death-T fiasco, and life was returning to normal for all of them, Seto being the only exception to that. Duke had said he'd only miss two days of work, but he'd been gone a full week now, and according to their superiors, he'd given his two weeks notice over the phone on Monday.

The current Duel Monsters regional tournament was drawing to a close, so Yugi had invited Joey, Seto, Anzu, and the others to his house to watch the championship match on TV. While Marik and Ryou played lightning rounds of Duel Monsters on the floor during the commercial break, Seto tried not to fall asleep in his chair. He'd fallen behind on sleep this week, and it was starting to catch up with him. Meanwhile, Yugi sat between Anzu and Joey on the couch, speculating as to who would emerge as the regional champion. Joey still didn't understand how bugs could beat dinosaurs, and Yugi was trying to explain to him that he should stop thinking in such literal terms when it came to Duel Monsters cards, because Duel Monsters existed in a world of its own with laws of its own.

"See?" Yugi said as Weevil Underwood pulled a move on Rex Raptor that completely blindsided him. "There's no single class of monster that's inherently better than the others; any class of monsters can come out on top if combined with the right strategy and the right magic cards."

The announcer on TV interrupted their conversation. "And now, a very special honor for our new champion! Here to present the Duel Monsters Regional Championship trophy, the creator of Duel Monsters and the president of Industrial Illusions, ladies and gentlemen and fellow duelists—I give you Mister Maximillion Pe-e-egasus!"

"Congratulations," Pegasus said graciously, smiling as he handed the small trophy to the bug duelist.

"Th-Thank you," Weevil stammered, clearly starstruck as he met the creator of Duel Monsters himself.

"And as regional champion, I invite you to compete in a bold new tournament I'm hosting at Duelist Kingdom!" Pegasus continued, looking to the camera now.

Later, as Pegasus left the stadium in his limo with a pair of his lackeys sitting across from him, he would take a moment to revel in his plan.

"Mister Pegasus, with the announcement that you made tonight, we'll have thousands of duelists flocking to Duelist Kingdom," one of those lackeys said in a flattering tone.

"Yes," Pegasus answered serenely. "An event such as this will hopefully attract those who possess the Millennium Items that I seek. Which reminds me…" He looked to his head of security.

Croquette answered promptly, "The package was delivered to the boy, just as you ordered, sir."

"Excellent!" Pegasus grinned. His plan had been put into motion; now he just had to wait for it to run its course.

In the meantime, though, Grandpa entered the room where his grandson and his friends were all gathered. "I just got off the phone with Professor Hawkins," he announced, holding a package. It had taken him this long to get a hold of him because the professor's research often took him to isolated locations with little to no cell-phone reception. "He'd given the Blue-Eyes card to his granddaughter Rebecca, and I spoke to her briefly on the phone." He turned to look at Seto now, who straightened up a bit as he gave his full attention to the elderly man. "She's only eight years old, and when I told her that the card had been ripped, she threw a bit of a temper tantrum and said she didn't want it anymore. I suspect she might change her mind at some point in the future, but until that happens, Seto, I trust you'll take good care of it." He handed the taped-together card to Seto, whose eyes grew wide.

"I–Thank you," Seto said, stunned. As he stared down at the card, his blue eyes glowing, Anzu spoke up.

"This is weird," she said, looking suspicious. "I thought there were only four of those cards in the whole world, so how did Seto get _three_ of them? The odds are against it."

"Well, it's his soul card," Grandpa said by way of explanation. "He was destined to obtain them. The Blue-Eyes only has one true master." He winked, but none of them could quite understand what he was referring to–none of them but Marik, who smiled at Grandpa as if they shared a secret.

"Well, I guess that makes sense, if it was his destiny," Anzu admitted with a sigh, although she still seemed to find it strange.

"What's that, Grandpa?" Joey asked, pointing to the package.

"Oh, yes, this is for Yugi. It arrived earlier today, but I forgot to give it to him."

"It's from Industrial Illusions!" Yugi gasped.

"Industrial Illusions?" Joey repeated. "That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters game! Why the heck would they be sendin' a package to _you_ , Yugi?" he asked, looking confused.

"I don't know. Let's open it and find out," Yugi said. Everyone was watching as he opened the box. The well-padded package contained a red fingerless glove with a thick metal wristband that had star-shaped holes punched in it. A plastic case containing two small star-shaped objects, and a plain black videotape.

"Some kind of glove," Anzu observed from Yugi's side.

"And stars," Joey added from Yugi's other side.

By this time, Seto had moved from sitting in his chair to standing behind the couch, his tall figure making Yugi look even smaller beneath him. "There's probably an explanation on the video," he suggested.

As Yugi picked up the video and looked at it, Joey said, "Yeah, pop it in and check it out."

"Okay." Yugi got up and went to the TV, the three closest to him following him forward. They were just as curious as him after all. All six of them were in front of the TV as Yugi pushed the videotape into the VCR. After several moments of static, an image finally became clear on the TV screen.

"Greetings, little Yugi. I am Maximillion Pegasus."

"Pegasus?!" Joey exclaimed, his jaw going slack.

"We just saw him on TV!" Anzu said in surprise.

"The famous Maximillion Pegasus sends greetings to MY Yugi?" Mr. Moto was just as shocked as the others.

"I have heard some terribly _interesting_ things about you, Yugi," Pegasus continued in the video.

"Huh?" Yugi couldn't imagine what Pegasus had heard about him. He didn't consider himself to be all that remarkable.

"Your friend's impressive defeat of Noah Kaiba intrigued me so much, I decided to investigate his amazing dueling skills. According to my investigation, he learned how to duel from _you_. Well, if that's true, then I would like a chance to duel you and assess your skills personally."

"Huh," Seto grunted, a hint of pride and a hint of skepticism in the sound as he crossed his arms. "Sounds farfetched to me," he muttered. "He's hiding something."

"I agree," Ryou murmured, glancing at the brunette beside him. "The whole thing smells rotten to me."

"Right here, right now, we shall hold a _special_ duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes, and when time's up, the player with the highest life-points will be the winner! Are you ready?" Pegasus asked, his eye twinkling a little too brightly.

"Wha?" Yugi gaped at the TV.

"What?!" Joey echoed. "He can't seriously expect you to fight a duel against a _videotape_!"

"That's crazy!" Anzu exclaimed.

Pegasus chuckled, as though he had heard them, then looked right at them through the screen. A few strands of his hair fall aside, revealing a strange golden eye where his own eye should have been. It glinted and shone with an inner power, and the picture on the screen wavered as though seen through a heat haze. As everything around Yugi froze and time was suspended, his friends simply blacked out without sensing that anything had changed. His living room disappeared; he was now surrounded by shadowy blue clouds, just like when they'd played Monster World…

"Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving!" Yugi was starting to panic as he turned to face Pegasus again. "What've you done to them?! Where have you taken us?!"

"Hmhmhm," Pegasus answered, looking pleased with himself. "We're no longer in the world you know. But I will return you—after our game!"

"Then it's time to duel!" Yami answered Pegasus as he emerged from the Millennium Puzzle and joined Yugi. He wasn't going to let the young one do this on his own.

As they began the duel, Yami and Yugi struggled to understand what was happening as much as they struggled in the duel itself. How did Pegasus know what cards were in their hand? How were they playing a Shadow Game with him through a videotape? Why was he going through all this trouble just to duel a teenager who hadn't earned any sort of recognition for himself? Pegasus was playing with him, toying with his mind like it, too, was just a game.

"Three thousand years ago, a powerful pharaoh locked the magic of the shadow games away." Pegasus was offering the information without having been asked, which was curious in and of itself.

"What's this have to do with _me_?" Yami asked suspiciously.

"The Pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items," Pegasus continued, ignoring Yami's question.

"Seven items? You're saying that— _my Puzzle's one of them?_ " Yami looked down at the puzzle for a few moments. He'd known that there were more Millennium Items, but he hadn't known how many there were total. He only knew of three: the Puzzle, the Rod, and the Ring.

"Yes, and there are mystical energies locked within it—magic that could change your life forever if you _only knew_ how to unleash it!" Pegasus seemed to be taunting him now, and it was effectively distracting Yami from the fact that there was a time limit on their game.

"But why are you telling me this?" It didn't make any sense to Yami why his opponent would give him this information.

"Why? Simply because I _need you to know._ But perhaps I have said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel."

They continued their duel, and while Pegasus continued to use tricky strategies, Yami was able to gain an edge on him using his Dark Magician. He was close to winning, so close, when the timer hit zero.

"Hm, well, we've run out of time," Pegasus observed with an unconcerned air. "But how close was that! If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have _lost_! But I didn't, did I. I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Moto, and when next we duel, we shall play for _far higher stakes!_ " Yami shivered at the open threat.

"I'm _done_ with your games!" Yami exclaimed just the same. He wouldn't let himself be intimidated by mere words.

"Tch-tch-tch," Pegasus scolded, wagging his finger at the teenager. "You presume I'm giving you a _choice_ in the matter." He pulled aside his hair, revealing the golden eye that resided where his left eye should have been. "But—I'm _not!_ For I, too, possess one of the seven Millennium Items—the all-powerful Millennium Eye!"

"A Millennium _eye_?!" Yugi found the idea revolting.

"That's right, Yugi-boy, and _now_ I'll show you the _true_ extent of its magic!"

With that, the Millennium Eye began to emanate a glowing gold light, and Yami braced himself for the worst. But the Eye wasn't targeting him—the beam of light hit his grandfather, who was still frozen in time behind him. Grandpa's ghost drifted out of his frozen body and vanished into the television screen.

"You see, I have found that, given the proper incentive, _anyone_ can be made to play my game!"

When Yami looked again, realizing nothing had happened to him, Grandpa's face appeared on the screen, calling out to him for help through the static.

"Yugi...!"

Yami's spirit withdrew so that Yugi was now fully himself once more, the confident presence gone. He gasped, confused for a moment, then realized with alarm what had happened. He felt an electric shock as he desperately tried to call to his grandfather.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Yugi cried as Pegasus chuckled to himself and spoke one last time.

"Yes, we _will_ duel again, Yugi–how else will you ever reclaim your grandfather's soul! Hahahahaha!"

Yugi watched in horror as Grandpa's face disappeared from the TV screen, unaware of the shadows disappearing around him. As his five friends woke up from their time-frozen state, grandpa keels over behind them, unconscious. Yugi didn't notice them, though, as he frantically shook the TV set in growing panic.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

"Yug, what's wrong?" Joey asked, confused. Meanwhile, Marik was trying to regain feeling in his hands, Ryou was anxiously wondering if he was the only one who'd blacked out, and Anzu put a hand to her head. The time-freeze had affected them all differently. Seto felt disoriented, and so did Seth, who didn't seem to know what just happened any more so than Seto did.

 _Someone just used Shadow Magic very cleverly,_ Seth informed his hikari after a few moments. _Only someone powerful and practiced can manipulate it in such a nuanced way._

"Hey Gramps, what's wrong?" Joey asked just then as he noticed that Mr. Moto was unconscious on the floor and rushed over to his side. "Gramps? Are you alright?" A panic gripped Joey then as he grew upset at the idea of losing the old man who'd become more of a mentor to him than his own parents.

Yugi was still overwhelmed with grief as he answered softly, "Pegasus stole his soul."

"What?!" Anzu was shocked as she joined Joey at Grandpa's side. "But how?"

"By using his Millennium Eye," Yugi answered quietly, his head hanging low as he still faced the TV, gripping it with both hands. Seto had run into the store and was dialing 911 so that they could get medical help for Grandpa—his soul may have been stolen by magic, but that didn't necessarily mean that doctors couldn't do anything to help him.

"Pegasus has the Millennium Eye?" Marik asked, his eyes wide. _So that's where it went,_ he thought gravely. As a tombkeeper, his family had been charged with protecting some of the Millennium Items in addition to many other secrets. Ishizu, who'd come into her own with the Millennium necklace on her eighteenth birthday, had warned Marik that he would encounter someone bearing a Millennium Item a few months after arriving in Japan. Pegasus must be that person.

"Millennium Eye? What's that?" Ryou asked, speaking at last. He'd gauged from other people's reactions that he wasn't the only one who had no idea what was going on and let out a sigh of relief. The only other times he'd blacked out like that were when the Spirit of the Millennium Ring had possessed him that spring and exacted his vengeance from several of his bullies, including their gym coach. He'd been so relieved after the Monster World fiasco when all of those victims woke up from their comas. Unfortunately, they all still remembered who was to blame for their comas, and Ryou'd had to work hard to stay out of trouble for the remainder of the school year. He'd only achieved this with a moderate degree of success; he knew for a fact that some of them were still out for revenge, but hopefully they'd all be over it by the time school got back in session.

"The Millennium Eye is one of the seven Millennium Items," Marik answered, surprising everyone but Ryou. "It contains powerful Shadow Magic like the others, but each Item's powers are somewhat different."

"Pegasus said the Eye was all-powerful," Yugi commented, finally turning around and plopping down onto the floor. He was trying hard not to cry, and the moment Ryou realized this, he moved closer to Yugi and hugged him comfortingly. Yugi was grateful and clung to his friend as he fought his tears.

"Ha! No single Millennium Item is all-powerful," Marik retorted. "Either he was bluffing or he's deceived about the extent of the Millennium Eye's powers."

"The ambulance is on its way," Seto announced as he re-entered the living room.

"Thanks, man," Joey replied, looking up at him gratefully. True, Solomon Moto wasn't _his_ grandfather, but he was the best parental figure in Joey's life, and he'd be almost as devastated as Yugi if he died. Seto nodded and crossed the room to kneel in front of Yugi. He and Marik were the calmest people in the room right now, since Ryou and Yugi were being emotional together and Joey and Anzu were still freaking out from the Shadow Magic.

"Yugi, you need to tell us what happened," he said firmly, hoping that putting an authoritative tone in his voice would help Yugi to pull himself together.

"We dueled, and he made it a Shadow Game," Yugi answered, sniffling as he turned from Ryou's shoulder to speak to Seto, Ryou keeping an arm around his friend even as Yugi's arms was still draped over Ryou's shoulders. Seto reached over to the coffee table and grabbed a tissue for him.

"Marik, wait by the front door so you can lead the paramedics to him when they get here," Seto ordered, and he obeyed without protest. He appreciated feeling useful.

Turning back to Yugi, Seto asked, "What happened during the Shadow Game? What did he want?"

"He told me about the Millennium Items… and a pharaoh…" Yugi muttered, then blew his nose into the tissue. Seto handed him another one with which to dry his eyes. "I lost the game, and he took Grandpa's soul…" He started to sob again, and he turned back to Ryou for comfort. Seto waited several moments before speaking again.

"Why, Yugi? What does he want from you?"

"H-He said that the only way I could get his soul back was to beat him in a duel," Yugi answered indirectly, accepting another tissue from Seto. "So I guess… I'm supposed to enter the Duelist Kingdom tournament. That must be what the glove and the stars are for." He spoke slowly, having trouble staying focused. "How else would I get to duel him?"

"Then that's what you're going to do," Seto assured firmly. "You're going to go to Duelist Kingdom, you're going to win the final rounds, and you're going to beat Pegasus and free your Grandpa's soul. Okay?"

Yugi smiled at Seto weakly, grateful for the calm reassurance he gave. Seto believed in him, and so did his friends. He could do this. He could pull himself together and save Grandpa.

The paramedics entered then, led by Marik. As Yugi rode with his grandpa to the hospital in the ambulance, Joey drove everyone else home, saying he didn't mind since he only had to make two stops anyways: Anzu's house and Ryou's house. From the latter, Seto would be walking home with Mokuba. After that, he joined Yugi at the hospital, offering him support and staying with him for as long as he wanted to stay there, driving him home when he was finally so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. When Joey dropped Yugi off at home, he made a solemn promise to him.

"I swear, Yug, cross my heart, that I will do everything I can to help you get your grandpa back."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Pack your bags and grab your dueling decks, because we're headed to Duelist Kingdom! I just hope I can do this arc justice. I'll try not to mess with the basic plot _too_ much. ;) Once Grandpa hands over the package to Yugi, all of the dialogue is quoted from the S1 E2 English dub (entitled "The Gauntlet Is Thrown") up until the point that everybody wakes up.

Please review and let me know what you think of it, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_ In your review, you can answer this question for me (or not): Would you like to see more detail in upcoming duels, even the less important ones? I know I've been pretty vague with them lately, but I can do better if you want me to!


	26. S1: Onboard

**"That's when I began to pray: Lord, show me how to say no to this. I don't know how to say no to this. But my God, she looks so helpless, and her body's saying, 'hell, yes.' Nooo, show me how to say no to this. I don't know how to say no to this. In my mind, I'm tryin' to go. (Go! Go! Go!) Then her mouth is on mine, and I don't say... No! No! Say no to this! No! No! Say no to this!"**

 ** _~Hamilton_** **,** **"Say No To This," written** **by Lin-Manuel Miranda**

* * *

Seto leaned his forearms against the ship's railing as he closed his eyes tiredly. The whole day had been exhausting. Ryou and himself had also received invitations to Duelist Kingdom, and had decided to accompany Yugi to Duelist Kingdom. After all, there was too much at stake not to go. Mokuba hadn't been fully enthusiastic with his decision, but he believed that his brother would cope well and forgive him when he came home. He'd put up a surprising amount of resistance that morning, but by the time Seto took his brother to the Bakuras' house, he'd been much more compliant.

 _"Do you have to leave, Seto?" Mokuba asked for perhaps the fifth time that day._

 _"Yes, Mokuba. I can't pass up this kind of opportunity," Seto answered patiently. For one thing, there was the recognition of earning his title by fighting his way through a tournament. For another thing, there was the prize money. Three million dollars. If he could win that, then he would be able to move out with Mokuba as soon as he got back and found a decent apartment. He'd already been looking for one, of course, but he hadn't made any decisions just yet._

 _"But I'll miss you," Mokuba pouted, crossing his arms as he sat down on their bed. Seto sighed and turned back to his brother._

 _"I'll only be gone for a few days," Seto assured with a smile. He and Mokuba had never really been away from each other before, so he understood if he was a bit anxious. "I'll call you every night, okay?"_

 _Mokuba sighed, unconvinced that phone calls were a real substitute for his brother._

 _"And it's not like you'll be alone. Marik and Amane will be there with you."_

 _"But that'll be weird!" Mokuba exclaimed, flopping down onto the mattress dramatically. "They have a hard enough time talking to each other"—which made sense, given that she spoke primarily through sign language and Marik was still getting comfortable with Japanese—"and I'll have to keep translating for them."_

 _"Hey now," Seto chided gently, kneeling down by his brother. "I want you to be nice to him. He's been away from his family for a very long time, and he doesn't know when he'll get to see them again. He's got a big brother too, you know."_

 _"He does?"_

 _"Yes, he does. And if Marik can wait this long without seeing his brother, then you can wait less than a week for me to return." He kissed his brother's forehead and smiled at him. "And, I have a present to give you before I go."_

 _"You do?" Mokuba perked up at that, his eyes shining with excitement._

 _"Yep." Seto stood and went to his dresser, taking something out of the top drawer before handing it to Mokuba. It was a locket shaped like a Duel Monsters card, and Mokuba accepted it eagerly. As he pushed the button to open it, Seto pulled a second locket from the drawer and opened it as well._

 _"Where did you find this?" Mokuba gasped as he gently touched the image inside the locket. Seto held his own open locket next to Mokuba's._

 _"It was in one of mom's sketches. I did some more digging around after I found that drawing she did of you and finally found it. I don't know how this picture got in there, maybe from when our cousin was helped look after us."_

 _Mokuba smiled as he looked down at the image of his big brother as a little kid, looking like the happiest person in the world. And there was Mokuba himself, looking equally cheerful inside Seto's locket. They were two halves of the same photo. There were probably no copies, which meant that he had to be extremely careful not to lose this one._

 _"I had both halves of the picture laminated to make them a bit more durable," Seto explained. "This way, we'll always be with each other, even when we're apart." He kissed his brother's cheek and tousled his dark hair. Mokuba threw his arms around his brother's neck, hugging him tightly._

 _"Thank you, Seto. I love it." Still in his older brother's embrace, Mokuba closed the locket and hung it around his neck, Seto doing the same with his own. A few moment's later, Mokuba's eyes widened with epiphany._

 _"You found Mom's sketchbook and didn't tell me?" Mokuba exclaimed as he pulled back in shocked indignance._

 _"I was saving it for a Christmas present," Seto replied, grinning sheepishly. "But, circumstances being what they are, I thought I'd give it to you early." He stood up again and carefully extracted the sketchbook from the same drawer and handed it to his brother. "Be careful with it, alright?"_

 _"I will be, I promise." Mokuba hugged the old sketchbook to his chest. Seto felt a pang in his own chest as he remembered that he wasn't the only one who missed their mother._

Seto had expected it to be just him, Ryou, and Yugi going to Duelist Kingdom. Then Joey had showed up at the marina and tried—unsuccessfully—to sneak on board. Joey may be an expert at other kinds of sneaking—like sneaking home late after curfew or sneaky into the girls' locker-room at school—but when it came to boats, he was somewhat clueless.

As the security agents tried to escort him away, Joey had started to make a scene, and Seto took pity on him. He knew that Joey wanted to come to Duelist Kingdom so that he could fulfill his promise to Yugi that he'd do everything he could to save his grandfather. Seto and Yugi were perhaps the only two people who truly understood just how much Mr. Moto meant to Joey. Yugi's grandfather had become the best father figure in Joey's life. He was the only one Joey felt comfortable talking to about his fights with his parents and their dysfunctional relationship with their only son. He'd been a strong influence that encouraged Joey to continue cleaning up his act, even when it was hard, even when he was tempted to slip back into some of his old bad habits.

Joey owed a lot to him, and Seto was well aware of that fact, which was why he'd stepped forward and stopped the guards from removing Joey from the premises by giving Joey one of his two star-chips. Joey had expressed much gratitude as he joined Seto, Yugi, and Ryou in the line to board the cruise-ship.

After they were on board and the ship had sailed, Marik and Anzu emerged from hiding and found their friends. While everyone else seemed happy to have the extra support of their friends, it made Seto uneasy. With Marik here, that was one less person to keep an eye on Mokuba and look out for him.

 _You're paranoid, Seto,_ Seth tried to assure him. _Miya will look after him._

 _Please don't call Ryou's mother by her first name. It just feels weird to me._

That was when Seto, feeling pensive and wanting fresh air, had gone up onto the deck. He'd been hoping to enjoy some solitude when he was joined by a rather captivating character.

"Hi there, stranger." Seto looked to the side as the newcomer leaned back against the railing, resting against her arms so that she could face him. Seto took her in with a single glance: tight white bustier to flatter her ample chest, high ponytail of blond curls, dueling deck in a garter strapped to her thigh, short purple skirt, white knee-high boots, bright violet eyes, full red lips, exuding an aura of mature confidence. She was no teenager, easily old enough to be in college. He could imagine someone like Joey or Duke drooling all over her, but Seto, who had no interest in getting close to anyone in any way, was immune to her seductive charms.

"Hi."

"This is usually the time that I'd hit the bar, but there doesn't seem to be one on this ship. It's a pity." She gave him an equally appraising look before holding out her hand. "My name's Mai Kujaku. You can call me Mai. How about you?"

He shook her hand and answered, "Seto."

"Well, Seto, what's your story?" she asked, too curious, too cheerful for Seto's taste. "What brought you to Duelist Kingdom?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me," he replied quickly, wary of sharing any part of himself with a stranger.

"I'm a professional duelist. I started with nothing and worked for everything I have now. This is how I make a living. Your turn."

"I'm at the bottom, and I'm working my way up," he answered, mimicking the vague style of her answer. "I'm practically raising my little brother on my own. I need that prize money."

"That's so sweet," she observed, tilting her head as she swing her perfect, shiny ponytail from side to side for a few moments. "You're still in high school, right?"

"Well, no, but I graduated early, so I'm at that age."

"Ah, I see. You seem more mature than most guys your age." She subtly edged closer to him as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and while others might not have noticed, Seto did. Her eyes looked different now, her eyelids a tad lower, the new angle making her eyelashes look longer.

"So I've been told," he answered neutrally, starting to feel a bit nervous.

 _What's the problem? She obviously likes you._

 _That IS the problem, Seth. I can't like her._

 _Why not?_

 _I told you when Duke—Oh, nevermind, you don't listen._

 _I DO listen, Seto, I just think that you're—_

"I don't suppose you came here alone, did you?"

How very subtle.

"I didn't come alone, but I don't have a girlfriend, if that's what you're asking," he replied bluntly, his cheeks starting to feel hot the closer she got to him.

"Or boyfriend?" she asked, just to be sure.

"Nope, don't have one of those either." Her perfume was starting to tickle his nose.

"Then would you like to accompany me back to my room?" she murmured, lifting a playful eyebrow at him. "We could… duel."

The thinly veiled offer of sex made Seto want to roll his eyes, and he was about to when she leaned forward and kissed him. He was frozen in shock, his lips burning from the contact, then for a moment, a single moment, he let himself kiss her back, even though it hurt him to do so. It would be rude not to, right? Or maybe, just maybe, his old instincts of suppressing every urge to refuse brazen overtures were still intact. That thought scared him.

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away, taking a step back himself as he tried to find the words to reject her kindly. Mai just thought that he was nervous about sleeping with someone he'd just met. She opened her mouth to speak when Joey swooped in and saved them both.

"Hey Seto! How's it going?" He swung a friendly arm around Seto's shoulders, loosely hanging on him as Seto quickly snatched his hands from Mai's shoulders. "Who's your friend here?"

"Mai Kujaku," she said warmly, introducing herself as she held out a hand. "And I'll crush you when we get to the island." The thrill of competition gleamed in her eyes.

"Well, we'll see about that," Joey retorted as he shook her hand, enjoying the challenge. "Sorry to steal my buddy away from ya, but I've gotta ask him about a card for my strategy, so, you understand why we can't stay. We'll see ya around, though!" He started to make off with Seto, but Mai stopped him with a burst of laughter.

"What's _your_ name, silly?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh, uh, Joey Wheeler. And don't you forget it!" And with that, the blond and the brunette escaped the vicinity of the magnetically attractive woman named Mai. Joey dragged Seto to the bow of the ship before he released him.

"What card did you have a question about, Joey?" Seto asked as he regained his breath. Why had Joey been in such a rush?

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that was a lie." He grinned sheepishly. "I thought you seemed kind of… uncomfortable with her. She was very… forward, don't you think?" In truth, he'd been watching the encounter between them, and when he'd seen the way Mai had kissed Seto, he was afraid for Seto, afraid that he might find it to be too much to what he'd experienced in his former profession as an "escort" and be depressed by it. That was a major contribution to why he'd interrupted at all.

Seto let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor.

"God bless you, Joey Wheeler." The words were enthusiastic and filled with gratitude, and Joey smiled, glad that he'd been right in his assessment of the situation. He went over and sat next to Seto, the two of them staring out over the water together as the ship moved swiftly towards its destination.

"Are you… okay?" Joey asked hesitantly. Being the only one of his peers who knew the truth of what his life had been like for the past year meant that he was the only one who could ask that question and even hope to receive an honest, complete answer.

"No." Seto didn't know why, maybe because Joey had managed to keep his secret a secret for as long as he had, but he decided to trust him with something equally personal and private.

"What's wrong?" Joey immediately became tense and worried, afraid of an immediate physical threat as opposed to the psychological one he was actually facing.

"I really wish she hadn't kissed me," Seto whispered, as if he was too afraid of someone overhearing for him to speak up, even with the sound of the water canceling out all white noise and filling their ears with a dull steady roar. "I didn't want her to, but at first I couldn't… I couldn't stop her. It's like I've gotten so used to just putting up with anything that's done to me, I don't know how to refuse anymore." He wrapped his arms around himself as if for protection. "It scares me."

Joey gazed at Seto with sad eyes, both shocked and appreciative that Seto was taking this leap of faith with him. "But you _did_ push her away, eventually. Your survival instincts are still in there, deep down. I trust that you'll be able to exercise them when it counts. I don't know what that feels like, and I can't say with certainty how or when that feeling will go away, if ever. But I do know that you're smart and you're strong, and you'll be able to protect yourself when it matters most, because you'll always have someone to fight for besides yourself." He'd learned quickly that Seto appreciated brutal honesty much more than optimistic flattery.

"Thank you," Seto replied with a sigh, still looking troubled, but feeling a bit better from Joey's words. They glanced at each other then, and Joey could understand why Mai had kissed Seto: he was beautiful in the moonlight, his eyes like stars. Joey licked his lips, looking as if there was more that he wanted to say, but before Seto could ask him what was on his mind, he seemed to brush that thought away and replace it with a cheerful smile.

"Have you called Mokuba to say goodnight, yet?"

"No, not yet."

"How about you do that now before joining us downstairs to sleep. I'm sure it'll make you feel better."

Seto smiled back as Joey stood. "Thanks. You're right. I'll see you downstairs, then."

They waved a farewell to each other as Joey left to give Seto some privacy for his phone call.

* * *

Seth awoke in the middle of the night, when most everyone else was asleep, including Seto. Why was he awake? He looked around, but there was nothing that would have disturbed his sleep. He didn't feel tired, but wide awake. He sat up slowly, and found that he felt stiff and cramped from the defensive position Seto had chosen to sleep in. He stood and stretched, careful not to disturb those around him as he made his way out of the room. It made him feel claustrophobic. He was used to the open spaces of the desert, the broad black night sky glittering with more stars than you could count. The street lights in Domino made it hard to see any stars at all. Maybe he'd have more luck out here on the ocean. He made it to the deck, and he took a moment to savor the cool brisk breeze, the salty sea air. He was a little disappointed by the sky, but it was still better than nothing. Compared to what you could see in the desert, though, it did seem like nothing. The phrase _light pollution_ floated into Seth's consciousness from Seto's sleeping mind. He lay down on the deck, staring up at the stars for quite a while. He was pleased to recognize the constellations, even though they weren't in the right places. Then again, he remembered from conversations he'd overheard that Japan was very far from Egypt.

A fresh pang of homesickness hit him then for the first time since reuniting with this part of his soul. He hadn't had the time to be homesick until now. Before, he was preoccupied with concerns about Seto, about Mokuba, about Ryou's struggle with the Spirit of the Ring, about Seto's alcoholic father, about Yugi's grandfather, about the evil in Noah Kaiba's soul, about his amnesic cousin's spirit. Right now, though he was at peace. There wasn't anything they could do about any of those concerns, at least, not while they were on the boat to Duelist Kingdom. With his mind clear, no impending crisis or disaster for him to prepare for, he was actually able to relax and enjoy these moments, and to enjoy being young again, for that matter.

Every other time he'd taken over Seto's body, it had been for a very specific reason: to protect Seto from imminent danger. The danger took various forms—Death-T, Noah Kaiba, debilitating injuries, Gozaburo Kaiba—but the reason itself was always the same. So why was he awake now and not Seto? He may have been a priest and sorcerer, but there were still mysteries he had yet to unravel. He did know that Seto deserved to continue to sleep, though, and that his body deserved it too.

He stood up at last, somewhat regretfully, and began to make his way back to the room where his friends were sleeping. He must have made a mistake, though, for he soon found himself helplessly lost inside the ship's body. He didn't recognize this hallway. Had he taken a wrong turn, or a wrong set of stairs? Was this the wrong floor? Then suddenly, she was there. Seth turned a corner and almost bumped into her, the woman Seto had found to be alluring, but whom he'd rejected.

"I apologize. I should have been more careful," he said quickly, speaking in a sincere, friendly manner.

"Thank you," Mai replied, pleasantly surprised by his manners. "Few people know how to treat a lady properly these days." She took him in with a swift glance, still pleased with what she saw. "Would you mind walking me to my room?" she asked innocently, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. "The empty halls on this ship are a bit creepy at night, and they've made me all jumpy."

Seth felt heat rise in his cheeks as he answered, "Of course." She slipped her hand into his elbow as he escorted her back to her room. "What were you doing up and about this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" she teased, leading them towards her room as they walked. "I got up to see if I could find any food anywhere on this ship. I did bring food with me for the island, of course, but if I could avoid using my rations if at all possible, I would prefer it that way."

"Did you find any?"

"Nothing!" She sighed melodramatically. "You'd think someone as rich as Pegasus could afford to feed the people he invited to his island, but no! That's rich people for you." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I know what you mean," he replied without thinking, but when she looked at him with a question in her amethyst eyes, he added, "I work for KaibaCorp, and Noah Kaiba acts the same way."

"They're all the same," she agreed. "The millionaires and billionaires, anyways." She brought them to a halt as they reached her door. "Thank you for walking with me," she purred, looking up at him warmly, her eyes bright. Something stirred inside Seth, and he realized that he was now in danger of making a terrible mistake. How had he been so foolish as to expose himself to such a strong temptation? She stepped up close to him, and he started praying to the gods, to Osiris, Horus, Anubis…

 _Ra, show me how to say no to this._

"You know, we didn't get to finish talking earlier," she murmured, her voice taking on a new quality. He blushed as he prayed to Hathor, Bastet, Sekhmet…

 _I don't know how to say no to this._

"Since we were interrupted, how about we continue now?" Even though she was so brazenly sexual, she still had a vulnerable, almost innocent look in her eyes. Her body, though, was not the body of some skittish girl. It was mature, it was begging to be touched…

 _Holy Ra, how do I say no..._

Seth was imagining himself going, leaving her behind. He just had to move his foot, and that first step would get him going. If he could just move… But three thousand years of aching solitude crashed upon him with a crushing weight as she pressed her lips against his. And suddenly, he didn't know how to move, how to push her away, or how to say no.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Ooooooooooooh snap!O_O

Well, the _Hamilton_ reference isn't quite so subtle this time around. ;) It seemed perfectly fitting for this scene, though, and I wanted you all to see that. Besides, the song is catchy, and it's kinda fun to read that last section with it playing in your head.

Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_ Curious question for you to answer: Should Seth find a way to say no to Mai, or not? Your feedback may be taken into account in the writing of the next chapter, so make a difference and review!


	27. S1: Touch

Mai dragged Seth into her room, their lips still locked together. His hands went to her waist, pulling her body flush against his own. Gods, it had been _so_ long, too long, since he'd had anything like this. She was not only enthusiastic, but skilled, and if she'd made it difficult to say no before, she had made it nearly impossible to say now.

As she started to unbutton his shirt, though, and cold air hit his bare chest, the chill managed to shock him back to his senses. Before Mai had even exposed his locket, Seth pulled her hand away, stopping her progress. They both grew still, and Mai pulled back to look up at him with a question in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this," Seth murmured, still trying to fully catch his breath. Mai twirled a strand of Seth's dark hair around her finger as she sighed.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can say to change your mind, is there?" Of course, there was plenty she could _do_ that would change his mind, but he was young, and she knew that wouldn't be fair of her to do.

"I'm afraid not. It's nothing personal, just that… I would be breaking a promise to a friend if I went through with this."

"I thought you said you weren't in a relationship."

"I'm not. It's… complicated."

"I see." She stepped away and Seth started buttoning up his shirt, mildly fascinated with the buttons themselves. They hadn't had such things in ancient Egypt. Ancient. Was he really ancient? He didn't feel that way, but he did know for sure that he was over three thousand years old, so that made him ancient, by modern definitions.

"Well, good luck in the tournament," Mai said as a farewell, sitting on the edge of her bed with an air of vague uncertainty, like she didn't know what to do with herself now.

"You too," Seth replied as he left her room. After a bit of wandering, he found his way back to the upper deck. He still wasn't sure how to get back to the room where his friends and Seto's backpack were, so he went to the prow of the ship and watched the sky and the sea, staring out at them in wonder as he tried with difficulty to not think about where he'd be right now if he hadn't stopped himself.

He failed in this endeavor, however, as images of Mai started flashing through his mind's eye. He groaned with frustration as he tried to stop picturing what he'd almost had, knowing that it would just make him feel more needy and restless.

 _Seth, what have you done?_

The former pharaoh shuddered as he heard Seto's horrified voice in the back of his mind. He must have just woken up.

 _I didn't do anything, don't worry,_ he assured, but Seto didn't believe him.

 _You obviously did SOMETHING, Seth. What have you done?_

His words prompted Seth to remember his kiss with Mai, and as it floated to the forefront of his mind, Seto exuded disgust and anger.

 _I can't believe you._

 _Seto, let me explain—_

 _I don't want to hear anything you have to say._

 _Too bad, because I am NOT going to let this linger between us,_ Seth retorted. He wrapped his hand around the Millennium Rod and closed his eyes, focusing hard so that he could put this body to sleep and meet Seto in his soul room. They need to figure this out before they let any time go by. Putting it off would just be incredibly destructive.

* * *

"Well look who it is," Seto muttered sourly as Seth materialized out of the shadows. "Had fun?"

"Please don't talk to me like that, Seto," Seth said quite seriously in one of those rare moments that he expressed true displeasure with his hikari. "The least you can do is show a little respect."

"Respect has to be earned," the moody teen retorted.

"And have I not earned it?" Seth asked sharply. Seto was really trying his patience at the moment.

"Gee, I don't know, do you treat my body like it's mine or like it's yours?" Seto's insolent words were full of bitterness. "You should have _asked_ me if it was alright to kiss her, or do anything else."

Seth's eyes flamed for a moment as he crossed his arms, coming to a halt as he stood in front of Seto. "I didn't follow through with it, Seto, and I never planned on doing so."

"The way you were carrying on with her, you were clearly about to do just that."

Seth breathed deeply for a few moments, letting his anger cool. He uncrossed his arms and came to sit beside Seto.

"You're right. I wasn't as careful as I should have been, and if I'd kept myself out of that situation in the first place, I wouldn't have come so close to laying with her." Seto scowled with displeasure. "I'm sorry, Seto. You're right. Can you please forgive me for my thoughtlessness?"

Seto felt his own anger begin to ebb. It was hard to stay mad at him when he sounded so apologetic and regretful. "I forgive you," he grumbled. "Just don't do that again, okay? I hate losing control like that, and I can't risk something bad happening as a result of _your_ actions." What he didn't say was how something like that had already happened, with Noah and Gozaburo, and it had resulted in Seto receiving severe injuries.

"I still think you should have accepted her offer. It would have been good for you."

Seto's cheeks began to feel like they were on fire. "I don't see how that could have been the case," he muttered, hoping Seth would drop the subject.

"You know as well as I do that you've hated touching people, Mokuba excluded of course, because of your… experiences."

Seto stiffened, hoping that this wasn't going where he thought it was going.

"In addition to that, you can't stand the thought of any kind of intimacy with another person."

"I don't have time for romance!" Seto said, a little louder than he'd meant to.

"Intimacy and romance often keep each other company, true, but intimacy can be had without romance, and you know that."

"Please, just stop," Seto whispered, covering his ears and trying to tune out the spirit's words. He wasn't going to put up with this again.

"I know that, until Duke, you'd never had any intimacy outside your former occupation—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut _up_ ," Seto growled, but Seth continued.

"And I think you need to experience the truth that sex doesn't have to be unpleasant or cause you pain."

"We're not talking about this!" Seto was growing furious, and he removed his hands from his ears. Why couldn't Seth ever just shut up?

"Your body has needs—"

"No!" Seto shouted, turning on Seth with an icy glare. "I am _not_ going to have this conversation with you!"

"Who else, then?" Seth challenged. "Who else would you talk to about these things? Yugi? Joey? Ryou?"

"Hell, no!" Seto yelled, his face red with outrage and embarrassment. "I'm not going to talk to anybody about it! There's nothing wrong with me! I don't need to be fixed!"

"No, you don't need to be fixed," Seth answered quietly, his eyes looking suddenly sad. "But you do need to be freed, and you do need to think carefully through these things before you make any kind of life decision."

"Freed from what?" Seto growled, still prickly after Seth had pushed him so far out of his comfort zone.

"Freed from your anxiety. It's hurting you, and I don't want you to continue hurting. I want you to be able to walk down the street and feel safe as you go about your life."

"Huh," Seto grunted skeptically. "Like that'll ever happen."

"It could, if you let it," Seth said quietly, his voice almost hopeful.

"Why should I _feel_ safe when it's _not_ safe?" Seto protested.

"It is safe, you just don't believe it is." Seth sighed, deciding to give up on that notion for now. He could make more progress in a different way for now. "At least, it's safe for you to be around your friends. They don't mean you any harm, so you shouldn't be on your guard when you're around them."

"I have too many secrets; keeping my guard up is a necessity."

"But surely you won't spill your secrets just because they give you a hug," Seth pointed out, making Seto frown.

"I don't have to hug people if I don't want to."

"No, you don't, but you should receive hugs graciously when they're offered. It's a matter of courtesy and of reinforcing the strength of your relationships."

"Just drop it." Seto was done talking about his issues, but Seth, apparently, wasn't. Seto started as he felt Seth place a hand on his shoulder, and he quickly brushed it away. "Don't touch me."

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, you're not, but that's not the point." Seto scowled at the Egyptian man and edged away from him.

"Then what's the problem?" Seth asked as he reached out to touch Seto's hair. His reincarnation ducked his head to dodge the hand, leaning away from him as if to be touched by him would give him the plague, or leprosy. Seth's hand caught Seto's chin as he stood on his knees to lean closer to the lanky brunette. He blinked clear blue eyes at the younger one as he waited for an explanation.

"It… It burns," Seto whispered, his voice wavering. Usually, when someone touched his clothes, he was mostly alright, unless the gesture caught him by surprise. It was only when he made direct contact with skin that he felt that strange burning sensation that made him feel like he needed to get away from everyone as quickly as possible.

"But it doesn't have to," Seth murmured gently, releasing Seto and sitting back on his heels as he watched him scramble further away before wrapping his arms around himself again and resuming his former brooding. He looked more like he was pouting now, though.

"Let me help you, Seto," he pleaded softly, moving closer to him and reaching towards him with one hand.

"Touch me again, Seth, and I _swear_ I'll throw the Millennium Rod into the ocean!" The words came out loud and harsh, and Seth dropped his hand to the floor in obedience, going still as Seto shuddered and drew the back of his hand across his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Seto," he whispered, shifting to sit close to Seto without touching him. This was more serious than he'd realized.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** So, originally, this chapter was about 5k words long. Then I realized that was ridiculous and found a good point near the middle to break it up. The next chapter will be what would have been the second half of this chapter. So, if it feels like I didn't accomplish much in this chapter, that's why.

Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters.**_ Otherwise, I'll just work ahead and chapters and not post something new until I get a review on my latest one.


	28. S1: Exercise

"Are you really this afraid of being touched?"

Seto just nodded while looking in the other direction. There were rare moments now and then when direct skin contact didn't burn him, like when Duke had kissed him. For some reason, he'd been alright with that. But even then, it stressed him to be touched by someone else. Most of the time, he kept as much of his skin covered as possible with pants and long sleeves and his trench coat, so when he was wrestling Joey, there was little to no skin contact whatsoever. The idea of wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, however, filled him with paralyzing anxiety.

This was worse than Seth had realized.

"I'm just trying to help you, Seto. People are starting to notice that something is wrong."

"They are?"

"Ryou most certainly is. He watches you like a hawk. And if Ryou has concerns about you, then he's definitely voiced them to Marik, and who knows who they've talked to about it. Plus, you did drop Joey's name that time you were assaulted, so they've probably talked to him about it by now."

Seto shuddered, drawing closer into himself.

"You need to learn to be okay with human contact again. What are you afraid of, Seto?" he asked quietly.

"Being touched. I thought we already established that," he muttered half-heartedly.

"But what are you afraid will happen when someone touches you? Are you afraid that you'll be hurt? That someone will try to molest you?"

"Yes," Seto answered hoarsely.

"Which one?"

"Both." He wouldn't meet Seth's gaze, too ashamed to face the older, wiser soul. "I… have a hard time trusting people besides myself," Seto admitted quietly, as if he thought Seth hadn't figured it out on his own already. Seth was proud of him for saying it out loud, though.

"Given your life so far, I can understand why that would be difficult, but wouldn't you like to be able to relax and share your burdens with someone else, trusting that they will do their best to help you?"

"That does sound nice," Seto murmured, his eyes distant.

"I know it's not easy, but can you at least try to trust me?" Seth pleaded. They'd had moments in the past where Seto had either been forced to trust Seth, or he'd had no other option available to him. Those had been a start, but they weren't enough. There was still some part of Seto that denied and resisted the magic, the Egyptian spirit, and everything else he had a hard time swallowing. The implications of those things were just too much for him to handle, but he needed to embrace them for things to work between them the way they needed to. Seth hadn't bargained on how stubborn this piece of his own soul would turn out to be.

"I can try…"

Seth kissed the top of Seto's head quickly, before he could pull away. "Then let's try this out now," he said, standing up, holding out a hand to help his hikari stand as well. After a moment, Seto took it and stood beside the older man, releasing his hand as soon as he was on his feet.

"Do you see where we are, Seto?"

"My soul room."

"Look at the floor, look at the ceiling, the walls. What do you see?"

"We're… inside a giant cage," Seto answered, realizing this fact for the first time. Seth pointed toward a large opening.

"There is no door to cover the entrance, so why don't you try to escape?"

Seto looked up at Seth curiously, then toward the large hole in the silver bars of the cage. He approached it and looked out.

"We're hanging over a bottomless pit," he scoffed. "How on earth am I supposed to escape?" He turned around to face Seth, but he had disappeared.

"Maybe you can try trusting me."

Seto turned around and saw that Seth was standing on a faraway ledge.

"How the hell did you get over there?" Seto demanded, getting irritated.

"Unimportant," Seth said dismissively. "I want you to come over here and join me."

"How?" Seto asked, exasperated. "There's nothing but empty space between here and there."

"You can get here safely if you trust me," Seth answered calmly, despite Seto's growing agitation. "Keep your eyes on me, no matter what, and walk this way."

"Do you really think I would fall for something like this?" Seto asked, his temper riled. "There's nothing to walk on. I'll fall to my death."

"Seto, the moment you believe that, you make it true." Seth's low, steady voice made Seto shiver as it cooled his temper. Seto looked down into the abyss, but Seth said, "Eyes up, Seto. Focus on me." Seto looked up, feeling anxious as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Good. Now all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other."

"Right, and when I do, there's no way I'm gonna fall," Seto said sarcastically, still standing halfway on the edge of the cage. "You're insane."

"We're in your soul room, Seto. You can't be harmed here unless you wish it." That wasn't precisely true, because the longer Seto waited in the cage, the more danger he was in from forces he didn't explicitly control.

"I don't wish it," Seto snapped.

"Then you have nothing to be afraid of," Seth answered with a patronizing smile.

"I don't trust things I can't see." Seto crossed his arms, the perfect image of a stubborn child.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a cage?" Seth asked coolly, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course not!" Seto's pride was wounded by the implications of such a thing.

"Then why don't you leave it?"

Seto looked disgruntled for a few moments as he tried to make up his mind.

"You promise that I won't fall?" he asked hesitantly. He couldn't believe that he was actually considering this.

"I promise that as long as you keep your eyes on me and trust that you'll be safe, you will be."

Seto took a few deep breaths, then grabbed hold of the nearest bar of the walls of the prison-like cage. He looked up at Seth, staring straight ahead as he inhaled and tentatively put his foot forward. He felt something solid beneath it, and gasped in surprise.

"Good!" Seth called encouragingly. "Keep your eyes on me, Seto, and put one foot in front of the other." Seto hesitated, and he added, "Just let go, Seto. You'll be alright."

This was difficult for the teen who'd learned to be suspicious of people, who'd learned that people couldn't be trusted. Up until now, every time he'd placed significant trust in another person, he had been forced to do so. Dr. Bakura had discovered a part of the truth through his own pursuits, and Seto'd had no choice but to trust that he would keep the information confined to only himself and his wife. He'd had no choice but to trust that Joey would keep his secret to himself. The older he got, the less he depended on others for anything, making himself as independent as possible so that he'd never _have_ to trust anyone too deeply.

Seto let go and took another hesitant step forward, resisting the urge to look down and try to discern what he was walking on.

"I love you as my son, Seto. I only want what's best for you."

Another step forward.

"Ryou loves you—"

"Ryou loves Marik," Seto corrected, starting to waver. This was foolish. He was going to fall to his death.

"Platonically, I mean," Seth qualified, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Ryou loves you, and you trust him deeply. Consider the fact that you entrust him with Mokuba's wellbeing when you don't even trust your own father."

Another tentative step forward, and Seto was having a hard time keeping his gaze fixed on Seth's cerulean eyes. He wanted to look down, to be sure of his step, to make sure that he didn't fall.

He burst out suddenly, "Seth, I can't do this." He was just as crazy as Seth for thinking that this was going to work. Whatever was under his feet felt unsteady and shifting, only confirming his fears.

"Yes, you _can_ do it, Seto," Seth insisted, hiding his sense of alarm as he saw that Seto started to doubt him. That doubt was putting him in danger. "Keep your eyes on me, and you'll be fine."

"How can you promise that?" Seto demanded, looking genuinely frightened. He wasn't ready to die.

"You're just gonna have to trust me."

It was the best answer Seth could give. For now, though, it seemed like enough, for Seto still stood there, staring at him with an odd mixture of anxiety and stubbornness. Clearly, he was going to stand his ground until he was given sufficient reason to move again.

"Continue walking, Seto," Seth said patiently, holding the identical azure gaze steadily with his own, knowing that if he looked away, so would Seto, whose feet now shifted nervously. "You believe in Ryou's goodness, which is in itself invisible and intangible."

"But I can see the empirical evidence of it," Seto countered confidently, taking a step forward a few moments after he spoke, realizing what Seth was trying to demonstrate to him with that comment. It wasn't true that he only believed in the things he could see; he believed in things that were invisible, but that still manifested themselves in perceivable ways.

"Exactly. Dr. Bakura has raised his son to be a good man, which is evidence that he himself is a good man worthy of your trust."

Another shaky step.

"Marik loves you. His family has, for the last three thousand years, served myself and Atem by guarding our tombs and protecting some of the Millennium Items. We—you and I—are one of two pharaohs that he serves wholeheartedly. He has knowledge of the ancient scriptures and understands that we are here because we have a great burden to carry, a war to fight in the name of all that is good in order to save the world. That is why you can trust him."

"What are you talking about?" Seto asked, perplexed as he stood still.

"I'm talking about why I'm here, why you received the Millennium Rod, why my soul resides partially within you. You've asked me about it before, and I'm only just telling you now because we may have to face that evil again very soon. Keep walking, Seto."

Hesitantly, the brunette obeyed, though he didn't feel like he was getting much closer to his destination.

"You need to _believe_ what I'm telling you, Seto," Seth said, a pleading note in his rich voice. It wasn't just enough for him to trust his words because he trusted Seth; he needed to learn to own his faith, to believe on his own.

"Why can I trust you?" Seto challenged, doubt nagging at him once more. "Since you seem so keen on that subject right now, explain it to me: why can I trust you?"

"I already told you," he answered with a sigh. "You are a piece of my own soul. I could no more wish to harm you than I could wish to cut off my own hand or poke out my own eyes."

"Fair enough, if what you say is true," Seto conceded reluctantly, taking another step forward. He blinked hard as he tried to keep his eyes up.

"Yugi loves you. You've protected him, and he looks up to you."

"Well, he's a pacifist," Seto scoffed, clearly disagreeing with his peer's philosophy. "They're made of glass. There's not a mean bone in his body."

"That's right," Seth answered with a smile. It seemed like Seto was finally starting to catch on. "He's naive, innocent, and good. He could never be malicious, even if he tried. That's why you can trust him."

Seto took another step forward, starting to feel more steady.

"Anzu loves you. She loves Yugi, and because you've protected him, she loves you by extension. She sees that you have a good heart, albeit a fierce one, and that you stand up for those who are unable to defend themselves. She knows that if she were to wrong you, she'd lose you as a protector, should she ever be in need of one. That is why you can trust her." Finally, an appeal to self-interest. Seto definitely trusted in that.

Seto took a step forward, then another. Finally, he felt like he was getting somewhere. Seth was growing excited as he saw that Seto was starting to truly believe him.

"Ryou's parents love you as if you were their own son. They took care of you when you were hurt and unable to stand. They have kept your secret, even from the authorities, despite the fact that they think it would benefit you and your brother. That is why you can trust them."

Seto was getting closer, walking at an almost steady pace across the chasm, floating on air, kept aloft only by his faith in Seth and what Seth said.

"Joey loves you. You never realized it on your own, but the sight of your pain was the impetus that drove him to change his ways. Since he's changed, his life has been far happier than it ever used to be. He has real friends now, something he hasn't had in a long time. _You_ made him good, made him happy, and he knows it. Now he feels a loyalty and respect for you that he never felt towards anyone before. That is why you can trust him."

Seto was getting close, very close to the ledge where Seth stood.

"Duke loves you. You've impressed him with your intellect and character, and he sees you as a good friend. He would never wish to alienate you or lose your respect. That is why you can trust him."

"I think you've forgotten someone rather obvious," Seto pointed out with a small smile.

"I could never forget him," Seth assured as he returned the smile. "Mokuba loves you, more than he loves anyone else in the world, even Amane. You've always been there, a constant, positive presence in his life. He's always looked to you for guidance, for sustenance, for protection. You're not just his brother, you're his father, his mother, his best friend, his role model, all wrapped into one."

"His mother?" Seto asked, raising one dubious eyebrow at the Egyptian.

"You know what I mean," Seth insisted with a sigh. "You've functioned as one since your true mother is gone. He loves you unconditionally and absolutely _adores_ you. He hates the idea of seeing you hurt or upset or unhappy. That is why you can trust him."

Seto let out a sigh of relief as he stepped onto the ledge in front of Seth, suddenly being pulled into a close embrace as the sound of something loud and heavy breaking filled his ears. He was able to turn his head just enough to see that there had been chains holding the large cage suspended in the air. They looked old, rusty, and unstable, which was probably why one had snapped. That added strain to the others, and they proceeded to break. Seth brought a hand up to shield Seto's eyes from any debris that might fall their way. The cage fell and not too long after crashed onto the dark bottom of the room with a loud, startling clatter. The whole thing unnerved Seto, who shook just a little as Seth's strong arms continued to hold him close.

"What just happened? I'm confused." Seto's expression showed it too.

"Some people are content to let fear imprison them their whole lives," Seth answered obscurely. "Most people don't realize how the fear itself poses a greater threat to them than the things they fear. You're destined for greatness, which means that you need to learn to leave the fear behind."

"So you're saying that I'm cured? Just like that?" Seto asked doubtfully. He decided that he wasn't willing to enter the whole, "I don't believe in destiny," argument again. That wasn't important right now.

"Well, it wasn't easy, was it?" Seth pointed out. "You wouldn't have been able to do it if I weren't here to help you."

"Fair enough," Seto admitted grudgingly, making Seth smile at him again.

"You needed someone to show you that people are worthy of trust, and why. You wouldn't have allowed yourself to believe as much unless you felt how greatly you _needed_ to have faith."

"So you're saying that all of this was just some elaborate, metaphorical trust exercise?" Seto asked, realization striking him like a blow. "Couldn't we have just done a trust-fall or something?"

"No, I'm afraid it wouldn't have had quite the same effect," Seth answered with a laugh. He kissed Seto's forehead and loosened his embrace so that he could push Seto's long bangs aside. "You feel a lot better now, though, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Seto answered quietly, not quite able to meet Seth's piercing gaze.

"Good. Don't forget this feeling. Whenever you start to doubt those close to you, remember what I told you about why they could be trusted."

"I will," Seto promised quietly. He was a little distracted by the strange sense of freedom he now felt. He could breathe a little easier without all that anxiety burdening him.

"It's wise to be wary of strangers, but you need to show that you trust the people who care about you. You don't have to live in fear."

"But not all fear is bad, right?" Seto asked, sounding for a moment much younger than he was, as if he were a child questioning his father.

"Right. Sometimes it's the very thing that keeps us safe and out of harm's way. That's the difference between rational and irrational fears. It's rational to be afraid of crocodiles or bears or lions, because they're powerful predators capable of killing you. Healthy fear will help you avoid a threat. Unhealthy fear interferes with your ability to lead a normal life, and I think you'd agree with me if I said that what you felt fell into the latter category."

"Yeah, I guess it did," Seto muttered.

"I'm glad that you see that now." Seth gave him one last squeeze before releasing him. "Go forth and live freely."

"Why do you have to talk like a Shakespearean fortune cookie?" Seto grumbled, making Seth laugh heartily, tousling Seto's hair with one hand.

"It doesn't burn _now_ , does it?" he asked softly.

"N-No, it doesn't," he murmured, closing his eyes as a sense of relief flooded his senses.

Seto's soul room started to fade around them, and Seto found himself waking up on the prow of the ship, facing the sun just as it began to peek above the horizon.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Everybody ready to arrive at Duelist Kingdom? ;) I'm considering including more angstshipping fluff during the tournament, so if you would like to see more of that (or not) let me know in a review! _**Please review, because more reviews = more chapters!**_


	29. S1: Arrival

"Come on, we'll miss it!" Marik ran up the narrow stairs with excitement as Ryou followed behind, suppressing a yawn. It was early, too early for many people to be awake just yet. This had been Marik's idea, though, and Ryou couldn't say no to him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ryou called out as Marik burst onto the deck and turned around to watch Ryou ascend the stairs at a slower pace. The tanned teen was practically bouncing with excitement while his white-haired lover still seemed groggy with sleep. The moment Ryou set foot on the deck, Marik seized his hand and pulled him along in a hurry, Ryou smiling in amusement. Marik finally came to a rest at the very front of the ship, just in time to watch the sunrise. After so many years in the darkness, it felt glorious to see the light, and sleeping inside the hull of the ship had felt too much like being underground again. His eyes were wide with rapture as the two held hands in silence, Ryou resting his head against Marik's as they appreciated the beauty of it together. When the sun had cleared the horizon, Marik glanced over at Ryou and grinned.

"Your hair is still messy," he chuckled, running his fingers through Ryou's long, rumpled, white locks.

"Ah, well." Ryou shrugged dismissively, glowing at Marik with eyes of melted chocolate. A throaty chuckle from behind startled them both and made them turn around. Ryou blushed an even darker shade of red as he realized that they were being watched—and who was watching them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were there," Marik apologized with a blush of his own.

"That's alright, it's not like the ship is mine," Seto said breezily as he stood, a little stiff after sitting there for hours, but he'd felt worse before. "We should be arriving soon, since the island is right out there," he commented as he approached, not even needing to point since the distant island was in clear view on the horizon. "Is anybody else awake?"

"I don't think so," Ryou answered, his face starting to return to a normal color. "Joey was snoring pretty loudly when we left, and Anzu and Yugi were still sleeping soundly."

"I suppose now wouldn't be too early to wake them up, would it?"

"Nah, we all went to bed pretty early last night, so they should be fine," Ryou replied.

"Alright, sounds good. I just think we should have some kind of plan for what we're going to do when we get to the island."

* * *

It had taken longer than Duke anticipated for him to explain all of the details of Dungeon Dice Monsters to Pegasus, and even longer than he anticipated for them to go through the potential of every die, the make-up of every booster pack, the plausibility of making it compatible with an adapted model of the Duel Arena. It took them a few days to draw up the contract after that, and by this time, the Duelist Kingdom Tournament was hours from starting.

"I would love to fund the launch of your game, Dukey-Boy." Pegasus sipped his wine before he continued. "It sounds like it's going to be a smashing success. There's just one little thing I need to know first, before we sign the contracts: Who invented the Duel Arena?"

"Noah Kaiba, of course," Duke answered automatically, and a little too quickly. The fact that Pegasus even asked that question made him feel nervous, but he refused to show it, maintaining his usual aura of casual confidence and cocky intellect.

"Come now, do you really think I buy that explanation?" He laughed, the sound light and almost scornful. "He couldn't explain a single thing about it to me when I asked! He clearly had no hand in making it. So, let's try this again, Duke." He stood, setting down his wineglass before strolling over to sit on the edge of the table and face the teen. "Who created the Duel Arena?"

"I… I can't tell you." Duke turned his head, looking off to the distance as Pegasus started to smile. So he knew. That was all he needed to know, because now that he knew that Duke knew, he could get the information out of him. It wouldn't take more than an hour.

* * *

"Attention, duelists! Please disembark in an orderly fashion."

"Pst, Anzu," Marik whispered suddenly nervous. "Do you think they'll be able to tell that we're stowaways?"

"Not if you chill out!" Anzu snapped. "Just relax and act like you have every right to be here, and they won't tell the difference."

Marik let out a breath and tried to do as she said, straightening up and walking with more confidence as he followed Ryou off the boat, Seto behind him, followed by Joey, Anzu, and Yugi. They stood on the docks, looking around nervously as they sized up their competition.

"Hey Yug, look! It's that guy who made fun o' your hair last night!" Joey exclaimed, pointing towards Rex Raptor. "Looks like he just slithered his way off the boat and is already lookin' to start some trouble. That slimeball, I'd _love_ to wipe that smirk off his face."

Weevil watched them from across the dock, smirking, and while Yugi actually felt tempted to retaliate—at least with a duel—he knew that he had bigger fish to fry than Weevil.

"Calm down, Joey. You can't afford to go barging into a fight that you're not prepared for," Seto said coolly, still taking measure of the other duelists and trying to pick out who the best opponents for him would be. It looked like there were plenty of people that he could beat easily, but he didn't see much honor in eliminating weaker duelists. Then again, he was starting with one star chip, thanks to his act of charity, and he couldn't afford to lose a single duel, let alone the whole tournament. Mokuba was counting on him to come home victorious, and he couldn't let his little brother down.

One of the black-suited security guards stepped up then, wearing a name tag that read "Kemo," and addressed the duelists on the pier: "Welcome, all duelists. Please—follow the stairs to meet your host!" He gestured to a long staircase built into the side of a hill, atop which rested a large, extravagant castle.

"That castle's gotta belong to Pegasus!" Yugi realized aloud, his eyes wide as he considered the home of the man who'd stolen his grandfather's soul.

"Then what're we waitin' for!" Joey exclaimed, charging forward towards the stairs, followed first by Seto, then by Yugi and Anzu, who walked side by side, with Marik and Ryou bringing up the rear, walking close by each other as they both felt overwhelmed by the island's vast wilderness. They could see thick forests, broad fields, sheer cliffs, intimidating mountains, rocky beaches—and who knew what else waited for them just out of sight?

As the duelists gathered before the castle, several acclaimed duelists were spotted, besides Seto himself: Weevil Underwood, the new regional champion; Rex Raptor, the who came in second place; Mako Tsunami, the third-place runner-up; Mai Kujaku, a professional duelist; "Bandit" Keith Howard, a runner-up in the last American regional tournament.

As they waited for the last duelists to gather, Seto overheard a conversation among some of the others duelists.

"Wow, these're all the best duelists in the world! But where's the world champion, Kaiba?" one boy asked his friend.

"Didn'tcha hear? Some kid beat 'im! On his own turf, too."

Seto stiffened as he continued to listen discretely.

"Are you serious? I thought _Kaiba_ was the best."

"He _was_ , but not anymore. _Seto's_ supposed to be the kid to beat _now_."

They either weren't that observant or hadn't done their research, because neither of them realized that the new champion in question was only ten feet away from them. His friends must have heard this, because Joey nudged the brunette smugly while Ryou smiled at him proudly, making Seto somewhat ennerved by this evidence of his notoriety. He didn't want to become a target; he'd prefer to choose his own opponents rather than be challenged by who knew how many foolishly over-confident children.

"Attention!" Kemo was addressing the duelists again, this time from the castle's balcony-one of them, anyways. "Please gather around. Your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all."

They all watched the balcony with varying degrees of nervousness, intention, admiration, and mistrust. Pegasus appeared, walking past a row of bowing lackeys as his golden Millennium Eye glittered in the fresh sunlight.

"Boy, would I like to get just five minutes alone with that guy…" Joey grumbled, making Seto chuckle, since it was clear from his tone that his five minutes would be quite violent indeed, should he ever get them. Pegasus watched the crowd, his face shadowed and somewhat sinister as he started to chuckle.

"Greetings, duelists!" His left eye was covered again as he spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "I am Maximillion Pegasus! It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the Duelist Kingdom. You stand before me, the world's greatest duelists—but come tournament's end, only one shall be crowned King of Games!"

While he listened, Yugi looked down at the deck in his hand, the one that his grandfather had helped him to create.

"I implore you all to assemble your dueling decks with care; with creativity; _and_ with cunning! For this competition will test your skills like never before! To track your progress in the tournament, you've each been given a dueling glove. You've also been given two precious star chips. You must wager these star chips on each duel you compete in. To advance to the final level of competition for a chance at the three-million-dollar prize, you must win ten star chips! _Ten_ star chips will admit you into my castle, where you'll face me in one final duel!"

 _If Grandpa's here, I'd bet my dueling glove he's hidden away in that castle!_ Yugi thought, focused entirely on his purpose for being here. _But I'll never be able to get in there with all the guards around. We're just gonna have to win enough star chips to get inside._

"This will be a tournament unlike anything you have ever experienced! State-of-the-art dueling arenas cover this _entire_ island, and intriguing new dueling rules will be in effect! I could _tell_ you what these new rules are—but what fun would _that_ be! You'll discover them as you compete, or you won't last very long! Remember—play boldly; think strategically; and duel mercilessly! You have one full hour to prepare—both your cards and yourselves. When the skies light up with fireworks, the duels will begin!"

As the crowd of fifty or more duelists started cheering, Pegasus turned and left the balcony, thinking, _The duelists have arrived. Yugi has taken the bait. And the games are about to begin! Everything goes according to plan!_

"Croquette," he said, beckoning to his chief of security.

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus sir?" his lackey replied, coming alongside his employer.

"I need two of your men sent on a recon mission to Domino. Here's the address with a description of the target," Pegasus said, handing Croquette a piece of paper from the side table. "For now, they're _only_ supposed to observe and gather information: I'll give them direct orders when I need them to take action."

"Yes, sir. Your associates from KaibaCorp are standing by on video-chat in your private dining room."

"I see they don't quite trust me to carry out my part of the plan. Very well, I shall assure them as necessary. And the girl has been fed this morning, yes? We need to keep an eye on her, because if we lose her, this plan falls apart."

"Understood, Master Pegasus," Croquette replied promptly. "She has been fed and is confirmed to be secured with no means of escape."

"Excellent." The Millennium Eye glimmered behind the veil of hair that covered it. "I just love seeing a plan come together."

* * *

Seto had already struck out on his own, away from his friends. He didn't want to have to duel them, not unless it was in the tournament finals. They'd already agreed to as much on the ship that morning, but he also thought it unwise for so many of them to be traveling so closely together when they _all_ needed to win enough duels to be among the first four to win ten star chips. He shifted his backpack on his shoulders, hoping that it's precious cargo would, as he hoped, help him win the tournament in the long run. He pulled his locket out from under his shirt and opened it for a moment, looking down at the picture of his little brother.

 _I'll make you proud, Mokuba. I promise._

Meanwhile, Yugi, Ryou, Joey, Anzu, and Marik were in a meadow not too far off from the docks, waiting for the tournament to start.

"Yugi, I don't know if I can win this thing," Joey said uncertainly, looking off in the direction Seto had gone in not too long ago. "Maybe it'd be best if I caught up with Seto and gave him his star chip back."

"He wouldn't have given it to you unless he really believed you had a shot at winning," Ryou assured. "If you really think you should give it back to him, I won't stop, but I think he'll manage fine without it."

"Yeah, besides, I promised Yugi I'd do everything I could to help him get his grandpa back, isn't that right, Yug?"

"That's right, Joey!" Yugi replied cheerfully, smiling up at his friend. "And with you helping me, there's no way we can lose!"

"You can do it!" Anzu enthused, despite that fact that she'd expressed doubts about Joey's dueling skills in the past. "You've just gotta steer clear of the more experienced duelists at first."

"Right, it's just a matter of working your way _up!_ " Ryou grinned at Joey, before glancing back at Marik, who seemed to be happy and at ease, despite his silence. Just then, fireworks started shooting up into the bright blue sky from the towers of the castle, making Marik gasp in shock as he stared up into the sky with round eyes. He'd never seen fireworks before.

"The fireworks! It's starting!" Anzu exclaimed excited. All over the island, other duelists took note of the signal, some feeling hesitant, some confident, some sneaky, as the Duelist Kingdom Tournament officially began.

"Let's do it!" Yugi shouted, receiving agreement from his friends, entirely ignorant of just what was in store for them.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** The next few chapters will be slow going, because I'm going to try to be more detailed with the duels and do the whole of Duelist Kingdom justice, while including more shipping fluff/fodder: peach, angst, polar, puppy, and others… ;)

Please review if you liked this chapter, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_ Curious question for my readers to answer: Who would you like to see Ryou duel in Duelist Kingdom: Bandit Keith, Mako Tsunami, the Paradox brothers (with Joey), or [insert name of preferred canon duelist here]?


	30. S1: Captives

"No need to worry, gentlemen," Pegasus assured the Big Five over video conference. "The girl is secure here, and even if she were to escape my castle—which is highly unlikely—where would she go? This is an island populated by my employees and a few duelists. She's not going anywhere."

"Even so, do not take any risks with her," Johnson said with a scowl. "If we lose her, we lose control of KaibaCorp, and I'm sick of being bossed around by those Kaiba brats."

"People like Noah Kaiba don't _deserve_ to run a company," Leichter added, his expression unpleasant.

"I completely agree with you, good sirs," Pegasus said with a charming smile. "As soon as I receive everything you have concerning the Solid Vision technology and its most recent breakthroughs since we signed our deal, she'll be released into your custody immediately and control of the Kaiba Corporation will be yours."

"It's still being compiled. Once that's done, it will be transported to you immediately," Crump said, looking irritated that Pegasus had kidnapped Adina before they did. But, they were businessmen, and as such were accustomed to negotiating deals and getting what they want.

"Excellent!"

"You do realize, sir, that the program still needs development," Nezbitt pointed out, looking incredulous, as if he doubted how useful the technology would be to Pegasus as it was.

"I am well aware of that. Very soon, I will have both of its creators under my thumb, so you needn't worry about me. Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have a tournament to run." With that, Pegasus hung up on them before they could say anything else. He rose from his chair, grinning cruelly. "This is just too easy."

* * *

"...She must be somewhere, though. Little girls don't just disappear into thin air, you know. They'll find your sister any minute, I'm sure."

Noah Kaiba remained catatonic in his wheelchair, staring into empty space. Whether or not he could hear the words of his nurse was anyone's guess. Would he remember them when he woke up? Did he feel any concern about his sister, or was his mind too absent for anything to register with him?

Deep within his soul, Noah Kaiba was struggling through an experience he could only describe as hellish. It felt like his very being had been torn asunder. He'd lost the part of him that reveled in the pain of others, the part of him that wished to emulate his father, the part of him that felt anger and hatred and aggression, the part of him that enjoyed violence. The part of him that would do anything to win.

Ah, but what did it mean to win? He'd clearly lost his duel with Seto, but his rivalry with Seto was far from over. The rules for the duel were clear and indisputable, but the rules for a rivalry were quite the opposite: vague, undefined, nebulous. He could still win.

At the moment, though, he was not thinking about Seto or victory. With his darker half, the half that hid his humanity, separated from himself, he was forced to deal with the pain and emotion and vulnerability that he'd suppressed for so long. He was forced to remember how his own father had hurt him, how he'd cried and begged for mercy, causing his father to teach him that only dogs begged. He was forced to admit that in the dark of the night, when he was alone and everything was still and silent, somewhere deep within he ached with loneliness. He was forced to admit the fact that he envied Seto.

Seto had friends and a little brother that loved him. Seto was smarter than him. Seto knew what he was doing with his life. Seto was respected by the people around him.

Noah wasn't respected, he was feared. He made people fear him because he didn't know how to make them love him. Deep down, he was just a small scared child that wanted to be loved. His father had beaten his lessons into him, molested and defiled him without regard for his son's pain. His mother had been distant and silent because she'd also been screwed up by Gozaburo's behavior. Adina was the only one who'd escaped their father's abuse, but her innocence and happiness had grated on Noah in the past, making him bitter and angry. Why was he the only one to suffer like this? Why couldn't he be happy like everyone else?

If he couldn't be happy, then he would make others suffer too—

That was when he was struck with more pain, the agony increasing as a visceral empathy was forced upon him. He felt all of the pain he'd ever inflicted on others, but he felt all of it at once.

No! Hurting others was not the answer… The pain began to ebb, and he could breathe easily again. Hurting others was not the answer.

* * *

"How are you today, my dear?"

Adina looked up from her coloring book and glared at the man who was holding her prisoner. "Let me go!" she demanded, her small fists clenched around her crayons in determination. "My brother won't let you get away with this!"

Pegasus chuckled before grinning down at the girl with a patronizing look. "I'm sorry, dear, but your big brother isn't doing much of anything these days."

Adina's eyes watered as she was reminded of her brother's state, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Pegasus closed the door behind him as he entered the room completely, stepping forward to lift Adina into his arms. He handed her his handkerchief, and without a reason to protest, she accepted it and used it to dry her eyes.

"Don't cry, Adina," he purred, but his words didn't have any positive effect on her. "You won't be alone up here for much longer."

"Really?" she asked hopefully. "You're going to let me go?"

"Oh, of course not, silly goose!"

She wilted, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Now, don't look like that! Chin up, sweetie pie. I'm going to be bringing you a little friend tomorrow, so you'll still be here, you just won't be alone." He set her down again and turned to leave, but now he'd caught her attention.

"Who else is going to be here?" she asked boldly. She was entitled to the information, after all, wasn't she.

"A little boy named Mokuba." Pegasus left Adina with an expression of dismay. She still remembered how she'd met Mokuba: on his birthday, he'd been at work with his brother at KaibaCorp. Seto'd had a meeting, so he brought his brother to the old shooting range in the basement that was no longer used, letting him sit there with paper and colored pencils for an hour while he was away. She'd gone down there to cry, upset because Noah wouldn't spend any time with her and she'd started to feel dreadfully lonely. Mokuba had heard her crying and befriended her. He'd taught her how to make paper airplanes.

That gave her an idea. She carefully ripped a page out of the coloring book and wrote an urgent message on it in crayon. She needed to warn Seto that Mokuba was going to be kidnapped too. She didn't want her friend to be taken by the bad men, even if she did feel lonely and wanted him here.

She tore out several more pages and wrote the same message, then she started folding them carefully, just as Mokuba had shown her. She got a few papercuts, but it was worth it. She flew them out the window, doing her best to make the go far. Some of them were lucky and were caught by a breeze, then carried over the woods until it was just a tiny dot. She watched the last one sail away for a few moments, then went back to her coloring book to make more.

* * *

"Thank you for taking us to the park, Mrs. Bakura." Mokuba beamed up at his surrogate mother.

"You're most welcome, Mokuba," she replied. She really didn't mind letting Mokuba stay with them for a few days. His sunny disposition was a blessing, and Amane needed the company besides. She did need to keep an eye on them, though. When Amane had told her mother about their kiss, Miya had told her that they should wait until they were older before they did that again. She could only hope that Seto had told Mokuba the same thing—and that the children listened to them.

"Mrs. Bakura, what are those men doing over there?" Mokuba pointed to a pair of tall, broad men wearing suits and dark sunglasses. They stood on the street corner, doing nothing as far as Mokuba could tell.

"Don't point, Mokuba," she said quickly, pushing his arm down. "It's rude."

"But why are they at a park if they don't have any kids with them," Mokuba asked, looking up at her curiously.

"That's not our business, okay?"

"Okay."

Mokuba turned his attention back to Amane, holding out a hand to her that she accepted with her own and a smile. He glanced up at Mrs. Bakura, waiting for a moment when she was looking away so that he could peck Amane on the cheek. She turned scarlet, but quickly returned the gesture before her mother was looking again.

Mrs. Bakura glanced down at the kids again before looking back at the crosswalk signal. Mokuba winked at Amane, making her giggle. Mokuba's sweet charm never failed to give her stomach butterflies.

* * *

"You're insane," Duke muttered, glaring at his captor with potent loathing.

"Mmm, I'm afraid not, Dukey-Boy," Pegasus crooned, looking down at the teenager, his Millennium Eye glittering. "Just a man with a plan, and you seem to have gotten yourself caught up in it." He let his eyes travel over Duke's lean form. He'd handcuffed his prisoner to the foot of the bed because it was the first opportunity that had presented itself. Now, Duke was kneeling on the bed because it was the most comfortable way for him to rest with his restraints. The position forced him into a submissive bow, however, that grated against the genius' sense of pride.

"I can't believe you," Duke growled, furious with himself for being tricked, furious with Pegasus for making Duke trust him. "How could you do this?"

Pegasus laughed, the sound cold and chilling. "You don't even know _what_ I'm doing, Dukey-Boy!" He chuckled again, pulling a blank card out of his pocket. "But, I suppose I can tell you, since you won't be around to stop me. I'll give you the short version, though. You see, after my lovely wife Cecilia died, I was devastated. I received this"—he lifted away his hair to fully reveal the Millennium Eye, making Duke's expression twist in disgust—"and suddenly had access to vast amounts of power I didn't know existed. I discovered a way to bring her back. I need, among other things, five souls. You, my boy, have volunteered yours." He began to stride closer to his prisoner.

"I have done no such thing!" Duke protested, throwing a hard kick in Pegasus' direction, catching him in the stomach and knocking him to the floor.

"Oh, that's it, I've had it with you!" The creator of Duel Monsters stood, rubbing his aching backside as he continued, "I _was_ going to keep you around for a bit so that you could work on a project for me, but I don't think it's worth it. You're much more useful to me this way." Pegasus lifted his hair away again to reveal his golden eye and aim it at Duke. A bright flash of light, and a few moments later, the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters fell limp and soulless on the bed. The card in Pegasus' hand was no longer bank, for it now contained an image of the shocked teenager, his eyes wide with betrayal.

"Well, that takes care of that," Pegasus said aloud to nobody but himself. He straightened his jacket and smoothed back his hair before turning and exiting the guest room he'd given to his now-soulless guest.

As he stalked down the hallway, he tucked the card into the inner pocket of his coat.

"One down, four to go."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Mokuba's quite the little Casanova, isn't he? ;) For some reason, I've always imagined him as being dangerously charming when he gets older. So, I think that's an update on all villains currently active: Noah Kaiba, Pegasus, and the Big Five. Yes, Mokuba's kidnapping is inevitable... It wouldn't really be a YuGiOh fanfic if Mokuba _didn't_ get kidnapped, now would it? Jk. XP I'm sorry, Moki, you know I love you. And hey, at least he's not alone this time!

Please review and tell me what you think! Please answer this question, if you have the time: _Would you like to see all of the duels in detail, or just the really important ones?_

Also, anybody up for some angstshipping fluff? I'll even season it with some angst for you! ;)


	31. S1: Halfway

**Author Notes:** Alright, I finally caved and wrote a lemon into this story. As a result, I've upped the rating. Enjoy!

* * *

"Things should be wrapping up pretty soon here," Kenji Bakura said cheerfully. "I'll be home in less than a month, for sure. Speaking of home, how are things going with just you and the little ones?"

"Well, since Marik decided to sneak off with his friends, I had to get someone to cover my shift tonight, but I already have tomorrow night off, which is good. Mokuba's on the phone with his brother now. Have you talked to Ryou?"

"Yes, earlier today we talked after he won his first duel. He assured me that he and Marik were fine and that they were having fun."

"That's good," she said, sounding a little relieved and a little pleased.

While Mrs. Bakura spoke with her husband on her cell that evening, Mokuba spoke to his brother in a different room.

"How was your day, Mokuba?" Seto's voice came clearly through the Bakura's home phone to the child's ear.

"It was great!" He said excitedly, glad to hear his brother's voice. "We went to the park and played games and had pizza for dinner!"

"That sounds like fun. I'm glad you're doing well."

"Have you won any duels yet?"

"Of course I have! I already have five star chips, which means that I'm halfway to landing myself a spot in the finals."

"Cool! I knew you could do it, bro! I bet you're going to win the whole tournament! Of course, Amane is betting on Ryou winning, but he's her brother, so that's okay."

"Are you using the term betting literally or figuratively?" Seto asked suspiciously.

"Well…"

"What did you two bet?" Seto asked sternly.

"We only bet Duel Monsters cards, not money!" Mokuba answered quickly. "She's working on this really cool fairy/spirit deck, and I had a card she wanted, so—"

"Okay, okay, I believe you," Seto said with a sigh. "Just don't make a habit of it, okay?"

"Okay, I won't!"

"How are Amane and her mother?"

"They're doing well." Mokuba glanced over at Amane and smiled, tempted to kiss her blushing cheek again. "Amane taught me how to braid her hair today."

"That's… cool." Seto honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Then again, hair braiding was a fairly innocent activity. There were a lot of things that were much worse than that for his brother to be doing, so he decided not to let it worry him. "You're behaving well, right?"

"Yes, Seto, I'm on my best behavior," Mokuba assured as Amane snuggled up against his side.

"You're saying please and thank you and all that good stuff?"

"Yes, I am, don't worry about me."

"Good, because if Mrs. Bakura tells me otherwise, then we're going to have a serious problem, won't we?" Seto hadn't actually needed to punish Mokuba for bad behavior in awhile—not since he'd been too young to know any better. He couldn't help but wonder if was Mokuba displaying early maturity due to their circumstances, if it was a result of Seto's good teaching, or if Mokuba was just so sneaky that Seto simply hadn't caught him doing anything bad.

"She won't have anything bad to say about me. She called me a little angel." Mokuba beamed at the memory of those kind words.

"Good." Seto was relieved to hear that.

"Tell me about the people you dueled," Mokuba asked suddenly, still intrigued about the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

"One of them was the American regional champion," Seto explained. "He used a machine-based deck and wore this stupid American flag bandanna. I think he was cheating, but I still won, so it didn't really matter. I won two star chips from him, but I didn't eliminate him, because he didn't wager everything he had."

"He was cheating and you _still_ beat him? Cool!"

"Yeah, I guess it was pretty cool," Seto said with a smirk.

"Who else did you duel?"

"Oh, nobody important," he answered calmly. "It's getting late, though, and it's time for you to go to bed."

Mokuba haggled with Seto over what time he should be going to bed for a solid five minutes before they finally said their goodnights and hung up.

"You did well today, Seto," Seth praised gently as his spirit appeared sitting beside Seto on the ground. "I'm proud of you." There had been moments in his two duels where Seth advised a move that contradicted Seto's own intuition, and while he'd hesitated and doubted, he'd listened to the ancient pharaoh's counsel with good results.

Seto felt uncomfortable receiving his praise, but he murmured his thanks just the same. He slouched against the tree behind him, trying to get comfortable so that he could sleep. Something was bothering him, though, and Seth knew exactly what it was.

"That 'ghost' we dueled," Seto said, opening his eyes again to look at Seth. "Was it really…?"

"It was a malevolent spirit, but that's all I can tell you," Seth answered regretfully. "I don't know if it was really Noah or not."

Seto huffed a sigh of irritation. "Mind-crushing him was supposed to fix him, so why would he suddenly have an 'evil half' that wants to duel me again? It doesn't make any sense. It was probably just an evil ghost or something like that." That's what he wanted to believe. It would be so much easier if there weren't consequences for him defeating Ghost Kaiba in a duel.

"I wish I could be sure about it either way," Seth sighed, sitting cross-legged with his back straight in contrast to Seto's slouched position. "But we need to consider the repercussions if he was telling the truth."

"Well, he said that he was Noah's evil half that had been banished from his soul by the Mind Crush," Seto recounted, the act of saying it aloud helping him to analyze the information. "We defeated him, so he would have been sent to the Shadow Realm, right?"

"I would think so, but it wasn't a Shadow Game."

"So you're saying he might still be around?"

"I'm saying that I don't think he remained as a ghost. Either he went to the Shadow Realm and is now tied there permanently, or…"

"Or…?"

"Or he went back to Noah," Seth finished. "I've never encountered anything like this before. I wish I could be more helpful."

"I guess there's no point in worrying about it," Seto grumbled, trying to push the thought out of his mind. "At least not now, while we're in the middle of a tournament." He picked up his cell phone again and turned it off to preserve the battery, then put it in the pocket of his long purple coat. "We have more pressing matters at hand: I have to win five more star-chips tomorrow so that I can enter the finals and win the prize money."

"And free Yugi's grandpa," Seth reminded him gently. "If you do get the chance to duel Pegasus at the end of the finals, you need to duel for him too."

"Yes, I know, I intended to," Seto assured sleepily, eyes closing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now let me get some sleep."

* * *

"Thank you so much for sharing your food with us!" Yugi exclaimed, smiling widely at the professional duelist.

"Don't mention it," Mai assured as she put her arms behind her in the grass and leaned on her hands. "You've got to be prepared for these kind of things, you know." She glanced over at Anzu and gave her a nudge. "So, what are you doing here? You're not a duelist, are you?"

"I play the game, but I'm not here to compete," Anzu explained as she unwrapped a granola bar. "I'm just here to cheer on my friends!"

"Really? All two of them?" Mai teased. That actually drew Joey's attention away from his food for a moment.

"Our other friends are on the island too, they just wanted to spread out so that there'd be plenty of space for us to do our own dueling without bumping into each other all the time. Seto went off on his own, and after Ryou beat Mako Tsunami, he and Marik went off on their own." He took another large bite of food. "What about you? I don't see you with any friends."

Mai looked startled at that and started to sit up.

"Joey! Don't be so rude," Anzu chastised, looking annoyed. "And don't talk with food in your mouth!"

"Besides, we're her friends now," Yugi added generously, looking up at the blond woman with a grin. "Right Mai?"

"Friends," she mused for a moment, tasting the word like one would taste an unfamiliar dish. "That sounds nice, but I don't need anybody. I'm fine on my own. I've dueled for myself all along, and I don't need anybody to hold me back."

"I bet your life gets pretty lonely when you're traveling to tournaments all the time," Joey accused. "Don't you ever wish you could settle down somewhere?"

"No, I don't," she retorted indignantly with a swing of her curly ponytail. She pushed herself up from the ground as she started to stand and took a few steps towards the woods. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes." When she was gone, Anzu whacked Joey on the arm.

"Hey, what was that for?" he protested, confused.

"That's for being rude to her! We seriously need to teach you some manners."

"I have plenty o' manners!" Joey puffed out his chest as he bragged. "I just use them on special occasions."

Anzu just rolled her eyes and said, "You're lucky there aren't any rules in the tournament about common courtesy, or you would've been disqualified by now."

Yugi chuckled at that. "It wouldn't really be fair for them to have those kinds of rules, though, since this is a Duel Monsters Tournament."

The three friends continued to joke and laugh, feeling safe in their prospects: both Joey and Yugi had earned five star-chips in their duels today, and while they didn't know how Ryou and Seto had fared at the end of the day, they felt confident that they would be joining their friends at Pegasus' castle tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mai stood near the sea cliff, looking out over the ocean as she reminded herself why she needed to be alone, why she couldn't let herself get wrangled into their nonsense about friendship and support, why she couldn't—

A thick, meaty hand clamped down over her mouth, cutting her thoughts short. She struggled as she was dragged back into the trees, unable to cry for help.

* * *

Ryou and Marik sat side by side as they gazed into the pond's reflections of the stars and the tree tops. The new moon was invisible, as it tended to be, so the night was incredibly dark. They were deep in the woods in an isolated area, and Ryou was feeling bold. He released Marik's hand as he stood and shed his white sweater.

"I'm going for a swim," he announced as he dropped his sweater onto the sleeping bag they'd brought to share. Marik looked up at him with curious eyes.

"Won't the water be cold?" he asked hesitantly, glancing down into the rippling river. The water was black like the sky, giving no hint as to its true depth. Ryou shrugged as he started to unbutton his aqua shirt.

"It'll feel good. Besides, it's summer, it's hot, and this is the closest thing to a shower I'm probably going to get until we're inside Pegasus' castle—assuming we get in." Ryou folded his shirt and placed it on top of his sweater. "Aren't you going to join me?" He started to pull his hair back into a low bun with a hair elastic he'd had around his wrist. His long hair was incredibly bothersome when he went swimming unless he tied it back.

"I-I've never gone swimming before," Marik admitted bashfully, his blush unseen in the darkness.

"It's easy, and the river's not too deep," Ryou said encouragingly as he pushed his jeans down. "I'll teach you how. It's easy."

"Okay." Marik complied, sounding a little uncertain, but he stood and started to undress as well. After all, he told himself, it was dark enough that Ryou couldn't possibly see the scars on his back. Even if he felt them, he wouldn't be able to tell that they were symbols. Only blind people had such a developed sense of touch as to read with their fingers.

It was getting harder and harder to keep Ryou from seeing his back, and while Ryou respected Marik's claim to shyness, he was also puzzled and hurt and impatient in his own ways. He tended to keep these feelings to himself and work through them until he was patient and positive again, but Marik could sense that they were there, and he regretted hurting Ryou like that.

As he finished undressing and folded his own clothes, he sighed imperceptibly. He couldn't risk Ryou seeing his back, though. He needed to keep the secrets of the pharaohs safe, and everything that Ryou saw and heard, the Spirit of the Ring also saw and heard. If Ryou saw his scars, the Soul-Stealer would see them too and understand them better than anyone else. When Ishizu had warned him not to get too close to Dr. Bakura's son, she must have known this would happen. When she'd told him that it would be hard to keep his secrets, she must have known this would be his predicament. He was grateful that he'd had the warning, even though it hadn't stopped this from happening.

"Come on."

Ryou took Marik's hands in his own and led him into the water. Marik gasped at the temperature as his first foot was immersed in the water, and he tried to pull back, but Ryou tugged him forward so that both feet splashed into the stream.

"It'll only take a minute to adjust to the water," the white-haired teen assured before pressing his lips to one of Marik's cheeks, then the other. He was standing in front of Marik now, both hands joined as he stepped backwards, careful not to slip on the silt-covered stones of the riverbed.

With each step he took backwards, Marik took a step forwards, almost like a dance. Soon enough, both naked boys were nearing the middle of the river, the water lapping at their waists. That was when Ryou kissed Marik properly, and Marik closed his eyes to enjoy it. Ryou released Marik's hands and found the Egyptian's hips in the water, gently pulling him a step or two closer. Marik's arms wrapped around Ryou, his hands joining together and resting on the curve of Ryou's tight ass. As the kiss deepened and their tongues started to touch and tease, one hand slid from Marik's hip to the center of his lower back. Marik gasped sharply as Ryou's other hand wrapped around his member, his hold firm.

"Please, Marik," Ryou whispered as his thumb brushed across his partner's tip, making his boyfriend moan. There was something pleading in his eyes, something raspy in his voice, something demanding in the unyielding pressure of his hands.

"I-I don't know," he stammered, lavender eyes narrowing as his eyebrows drew together and his gaze fell to the water's surface. A low growl sounded from Ryou's throat, making Marik's head snap up. Ryou was no longer in his arms, but a horny, pissed off spirit. With reflexes too fast for Marik to comprehend, the evil spirit shoved Marik into deeper waters, causing him to submerge. He gasped in shock and inhaled a mouthful of cold water. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring seized Marik by the hair and yanked him up into the open air. Marik spluttered as he coughed up water and sought to fill his lungs with air. When he was almost breathing again, the spirit slammed Marik's back against a large stone protruding from the water. A furious spirit glared at the gasping teen, their faces inches apart.

"You _will_ give this to me," the spirit commanded, pressing himself close enough to Marik to make his victim squirm. "Give this to me, or Yadonushi will suffer for it."

 _Yadonushi_. He could only be referring to Ryou. As Marik stared into those menacing scarlet eyes, he experienced a strange moment of complete mental clarity: this was his purpose here. He was supposed to come to Japan to give Seto the Millennium Rod, to provide them with the pharaohs secrets when the time came, and to protect Ryou from the evil spirit that would otherwise harm him. Ryou still believed the evil spirit was gone, just like all of their friends did. Perhaps it was better this way, to protect him from the pain and the distress that knowing the truth would cause him.

"What is your name?"

The spirit started at Marik's question, blinking in confusion.

"You do have a name, don't you?"

"If you must call me something, call me Bakura," the evil spirit snarled before grabbing Marik by the arm and dragging him onto the riverbank as Marik winced and stumbled after him. "Unlike my host, I find the idea of doing it in the water rather distasteful."

He contemplated Marik for a moment as if trying to decided what would be best to do with him—or _to_ him. He placed his hands on those bronze shoulders and shoved the teen down to his knees. He wrapped those fair locks of hair around his fingers for a secure hold and forced Marik's mouth open with his other hand. Marik wasn't fighting him, wasn't protesting or making much sound at all. He'd squeaked with pain when his knees hit the hard ground, but he'd otherwise remained silent. It wasn't what Bakura had expected, but if he remained fairly quiet, they wouldn't have a problem.

"It seems my host's little friend is just as meek and spineless as he is," the spirit muttered as he forced himself inside Marik's mouth and throat. He dropped his head back as pleasure flooded his senses and hands caressed the backs of his thighs. Both pale hands were now tangled into the platinum blond hair as lavender eyes slowly closed.

* * *

Mokuba was sleeping in Ryou's room across the hall from Amane. The soft sound of light breathing was the only sound in the darkened room not long after midnight. Across the street in a parked car, Pegasus' two grunts were watching the Bakura home, trying not to fall asleep. A cell phone rang.

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus, sir?"

"Get the boy as quietly as you can and bring him here immediately."

"Yes sir, right away."

* * *

 **P.S.** While writing this chapter, I was tempted to take a page out of LittleKuriboh's book and say, "Meanwhile, thousands of miles away," every time I made a transition. XD Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_


	32. S1: Zombies

"Don't you think Mai's been gone for a long time?" Joey commented suddenly. He stood up and started to walk into the underbrush, calling her name.

"Uh, Joey, you might not want to do that," Anzu said, well aware that Joey might see something he shouldn't.

"Wait did you hear that?" Joey said and froze, his ears perked like a golden retriever.

"I didn't hear anything," Yugi said, confused.

"Sh!"

Anzu and Yugi remained silent for a few moments as Joey listened carefully. Then their blond friend suddenly took off into the woods.

"Hey Joey, wait up!" they called as they dashed after their friend, but Joey didn't wait. He'd heard a cry for help, he was sure of it. He broke through the bushes into a clearing where he saw a Duel Arena, but he wasn't paying attention to that right now. He was focused on the huge man molesting Mai, the way he gripped her arm so tightly

"Hey, why don'tchya pick on somebody your own size, ya giant freak!"

The man looked up and released Mai just before Joey barreled into him, knocking them both off-balance, though not quite off their feet. Joey recovered first and punch the other in the face good and hard, then quickly darted out of range, taking Mai's hand and tugging her further away from the man who'd been molesting her. That was when Joey turned his attention to her and realized that she looked absolutely terrified and was fighting tears.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to make a lady cry!" Joey shouted angrily at the freak, who was still recovering from Joey's punch. He wasn't used to people retaliating with physical violence.

"Are you okay Mai?" he asked gently, turning his attention to the duelist at his side. Mai threw her arms around Joey as she hugged him tightly, surprising him and making him blush as he returned the embrace.

"Joey, you saved me!" she cried, blinking back her tears as Joey realized that she was trembling in his arms. "Thank you, thank you!"

Anzu and Yugi burst onto the scene just then.

"Who's he?" Anzu asked, eying Mai's assailant with suspicion.

"My name is PaniK, and I'm an eliminator."

"An eliminator," Yugi repeated in wonder. "What's that?"

"Check out her duelist's glove. Not a star-chip left."

"But that would mean she's been disqualified," Anzu said, unable to comprehend that the seasoned successful duelist might have lost.

"I root out all the dueling filth on this island and dispose of it," PaniK continued, crossing his arms smugly. "Just like Pegasus pays me to do."

"I guess that makes you a garbage man," Joey retorted disdainfully, holding Mai in a reassuring embrace as she clung to him. She released him now, though, pulling back and turning to face the others.

"So, you're out, Mai?" Yugi asked in shock.

"I am," she answered regretfully starting to regain her composure. "It all happened so fast. The way PaniK duels, I just… lost it."

She hung her head, ashamed of losing the eight star-chips she'd earned her first day of the tournament. She flicked her warm violet gaze back to Joey, looking almost guilty. Joey knew that she was omitting the part where PaniK had assaulted her.

"This isn't right," Yugi said softly, his inner sense of justice rebelling against the way his new friend had been treated.

"Ha! She was one of my easiest victims yet!" PaniK laughed maniacally, a crazed look in his eye that made Joey hate the man all the more.

"You creep!" Joey shouted, his fists balled at his sides as he started to approach the eliminator. "There's no excuse for—"

"Calm down, Joey," Mai interrupted as she grabbed his arm, afraid that he would say what he'd seen. Joey looked back at her for a moment, starting to understand. She seemed too ashamed to speak of the assault aloud, which reminded Joey of another duelist he knew well. Fine, he wasn't going to say anything if she didn't want him to. After keeping Seto's secrets for so long, he'd actually gotten good at keeping things to himself. "I know how you feel but that guy's more than twice your size!"

"I can take 'im!" Joey growled, glaring at PaniK again.

"No, Joey, fists aren't the answer," Yugi said calmly as he stepped forward. "Violence won't solve anything. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life, and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them."

The impulsive blond looked down at his friend as the shorter teen approached PaniK, starting to feel a bit ashamed as well as confused. "Whaddaya mean?"

"You have to stand up to them!" Yugi looked up at the much larger man, looking determined.

"But Yugi—" Mai tried to stop him, not wanting him to be knocked out too, but Yugi continued speaking anyways, his voice taking on a new quality. Joey and Anzu exchanged a glance: that was the Pharaoh speaking, not just Yugi anymore.

"Now—let's see you try your intimidation tactics against _me_ , Panik. I don't scare easy, especially when I'm standing up for my friends! So let's duel!"(1)

* * *

The morning was peaceful as Marik and Ryou slept cuddled together in their sleeping-bag. Ryou's cell phone rang, waking up its owner with its urgent, metallic ringing. Ryou rubbed his eyes as he reached for his phone, finding it with his fingers after a few moments. He yawned and lifted the phone to his ear as he sat up on his elbows.

"Hi Mom, what's up?" he said.

"Ryou," she said, but the rest of her words were obscured by static.

"Mom, I can't hear you," he said loudly, worried by his mother's panicked tone. He could hear her try to speak to him again, but while he heard snippets of her voice, he couldn't make out a single word. "Mom, the connection's really bad. I'll try calling you later, okay?" He heard more static, but the sound was cut off by a beeping noise. He lowered his phone and sighed as he looked at the screen. The call had been dropped.

"What's going on?" Marik asked as he stretched his arms, Ryou's voice having woken him.

"My mom called me," Ryou explained. "She was trying to say something, but the connection was really bad. I'll have to try calling her later from a higher point on the island. Don't let me forget, okay?"

"I won't," Marik assured with a small smile. Ryou seemed pleasant this morning, which probably meant that Bakura had altered his memories of last night. Marik wasn't keen on upsetting Ryou, who needed to focus on his duels so that he could enter the castle, so he decided to keep his mouth shut about what had happened last night. He watched the white-haired teen as he searched for his shirt and jeans, dressing quickly as Marik crawled out of bed and pulled his pants back on as well. He'd redressed before sleeping, only leaving off his sleeveless hoodie and his cargo pants for comfort. They packed up their things quickly and took off in search of another duelist. When they came to a cave, it was Ryou's idea to enter it, although Marik was understandably hesitant.

"With the field advantage that my monsters will get in a cave, though, I'm sure to win my next duel!" Ryou had enthused. In the end, it was a hug and a kiss that had persuaded Marik to enter the cavern. They passed coffins, skulls, and other macabre imagery before they found a Duel Arena—and their next opponent.

"Oi, Bonz," the orange-haired Australian said to the shortest of the three goons the two teens had encountered. "Looks like we've got ourselves a challenger."

"You don't stand a ghost of a chance in a duel against me," Bonz bragged as he stepped up to one side of the Duel Arena, Ryou doing the same as a sly smile crossed his face.

"If you're so confident, then how about we raise the stakes: winner takes all?" Ryou proposed, making Bonz cringe.

"Not likely," the Australian scoffed.

"You think we're dumb enough to risk all five star-chips?" the tallest of them said, his hair dark and spiked upwards like grass.

"Your cowardice comes as no surprise, considering that you're hiding here in the dark waiting for unsuspecting duelists to wander their way in. But let me remind you that the finals start soon, and you're running out of time."

Ryou had already taken on a different tone and posture, a hand on his hip as he fixed his opponent with a look of confidence. This did not disturb Marik, who had seen this same behavior yesterday. Some duelists focused entirely on acquiring the best cards and memorizing every possible combination they might use in battle. Others invested their energy in creative ways to cheat in order to ensure their victory. Once Ryou had assembled an excellent deck and side deck, he'd focused on something else entirely. He understood that psychology was half the game, and his ability to manipulate his opponent was his secret weapon. He never dueled like that when they were dueling for fun back home, but this was a tournament, so he was going to duel using every skill he had.

"He's right," the tall one agreed.

"I have stated my case clearly, and if you are wise, you will duel me," Ryou said calmly with an air of certainty. The duel hadn't even started yet, and he was already working his subtle wiles on them. "The winner will advance to the Duelist Kingdom Tournament."

"I accept your challenge," Bonz said confidently, stepping into the Duel Arena as Ryou did the same. "If you were dumb enough to walk into my trap and challenge me, then I doubt you're very much of a duelist anyways."

Ryou glanced over his shoulder at Marik and winked as the Egyptian smiled confidently back at him. He turned toward his opponent again, thinking to himself, _Accepting my challenge was your first mistake. And once I'm through with you, it will be your last in this tournament._

"If you want my star-chips, you'll have to be prepared for anything," Ryou said mysteriously as he shuffled his deck. "Time to begin our duel, so get ready." They both drew their starting hands and Ryou drew a sixth card, wordlessly claiming the first turn as his. That was a part of his psychological strategy: by going first without asking for preference or tossing a coin, he was subtly asserting his will over the other. "Are you aware of the legend of this crypt?" He quirked an eyebrow at them as he asked the question that was meant to draw attention to their own ignorance.

"What legend?" Bonz asked hesitantly, looking guarded as he drew back a bit.

"Listen." An order, not a request. "This very mausoleum is haunted by the ghost of a knight who lost his head in battle." He spoke low, his tone ominous and smooth. It made Marik shiver as he moved to stand to the side of the Duel Arena where he would get a better view of the duel.

"What?" Bonz was starting to get spooked.

"When the clock strikes midnight," Ryou continued, laying one monster in attack mode as a mysterious purple smog shrouded the field of the Duel Arena, "He rises up from his grave in search of his missing head." You could tell from his expression that he enjoyed telling this ghost story very much.

"I-I don't believe you," Bonz stammered, failing to convince anyone of his words. Then the shorter duelist shrieked as Ryou's monster burst from the graveyard playing field of the Duel Arena, lunging up out of the earth, spraying particles of dirt toward Bonz. While the zombie duelist and his goons were freaked out, Ryou couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"You're face is scarier than that Duel Monster's card, Bonz!" the taller grunt scoffed.

"Hey, I didn't see it comin'!" Bonz defended, trying to protect his dignity.

"Alright, I'll play one card face-down," Ryou continued, doing so as he kept a steady gaze fixed on his opponent. "I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."

"Ah!" This guy's creeping me out. I'll show him!" Bonz said, looking nervous.

Ryou smirked a little, glad to have an opponent who was so easily off-put. Now that Bonz was unsettled and embarrassed, he'd probably make a foolish mistake, one that Ryou could easily exploit.

"Now I'll take out Snake-Hair The Sorceress!" he declared, the monster materializing in the Duel Arena once he lay down the card in attack mode. "She'll bury your knight in no time. Snake-Hair, destroy his Headless Knight with your stone blizzard attack!"

The sorceress attacked and Ryou's knight shattered in a burst of bright pixels. Bonz chuckled as he watched his opponent's life-points drop slightly.

"So, it looks like your knight just lost a lot more than his head." He crossed his arms with a smug expression.

"Wrong. I assure you that you haven't seen the last of my Headless Knight so observe and learn." Ryou drew a card as he started his turn, then smiled to himself. "I reveal my face-down card: Shallow Grave. This magic card allows me to revive one monster from my graveyard, and place it back on the field in defense mode. So welcome back my Headless Knight." Ryou removed the card from his graveyard and placed it back on his field. The Headless Knight reappeared emerging from a coffin, its stats higher than before.

"Look out Bonzie, the headless guy came back from the grave!" the tall one warned.

"Wake up, Zygor," the Australian grunt retorted. "Snake-Hair's still got more attack points than that flimsy knight."

"Oh yeah," Zygor replied. "You got a point there, Sid."

"This monster may be too weak," Ryou continued after rolling his eyes at them. "But watch as I sacrifice my Headless Knight in order to summon a creature stronger than your Snake-Hair. Rise up my Earl of Demise!" He had been adjusting his cards as he spoke and now lay down the card for his new monster. It appeared with a flash of purple light, looking like a gruesome, half-rotten corpse. It was considerably stronger than the Snake-Hair Sorceress.

"Oh no, my moster's a goner!" Bonz looked frightened, realizing now that he shouldn't have let himself be talked into betting all of his star-chips.

"And now, Earl of Demise attack with your sword of peril!"

"Ah, no! Snake-Hair!" Bonz's cry was futile, however, for his monster was cut down by the earl. Ryou started to chuckle, and Marik felt another shiver down his spine as he looked at his lover with concern. Was the Spirit of the Millennium Ring doing it again? Was he pretending to be his host? Or perhaps he was influencing his behavior? This was so unlike the Ryou that Marik had grown to love in the past few months, and it was unsettling to know that his closest friend had a dark side that could remain hidden for so long.

"Have you amateurs had enough punishment yet?" Ryou asked condescendingly, a sly grin altering his features.

"We'll see which one of us is an amateur when I do this!" Bonz drew a card and declared, "I summon Dragon Zombie! Now I'll unearth my Magic Burial card." He threw both cards down and as the magic card was activated, Snake-Hair Sorceress returned to the field. "Look familiar? This magic card costs me 800 life-points, but since it brings Snake-Hair back from the grave, it's a price I'm willing to pay, especially once I activate my Polymerization card." He threw down another card from his hand. "It fuses my two monsters together, creating a creature so terrifying it will send shivers down your spine!" As the monsters fused together, Bonz looked triumphant. "Behold! The Great Mammoth of Goldfine! You are finished!" He plucked yet another card from his hand and continued, "Since fusion monsters have to wait one turn before attacking, I'll place one card face-down and I'll wait for you to make your next move. Are you gonna draw, or what?" He demanded impatiently.

"With pleasure," Ryou replied coolly, taking the card off the top of his deck.

"I'm playing a trap card!" Bonz announced suddenly as Ryou looked at his card. "Skull Invitation! Now every time a card is sent to the card graveyard, my Skull Invitation card will severely damage your life-points! So when my Great Mammoth of Goldfine destroys your Earl of Demise in my next turn, you will lose 300 extra life-points automatically! Ha! Talk about having one foot in the grave. You are finished, bud!"

Ryou started to laugh, and Bonz became confused again.

"Your trap card is meaningless to me, and to prove it, I'll send every card in my hand to the card graveyard." Marik gasped in surprise as Ryou placed his entire hand in the graveyard.

"What?" Bonz still didn't understand.

"He must be mad as a hatter to make that move," Sid scorned, one hand on his hip. "You can't lose, Bonzie!"

"Yeah," Bonz agreed, trying not to let himself be unbalanced by his opponent yet again. "Skull Invitation, do your dirty work!" Ryou lifted an arm to shield himself as the magic of Skull Invitation swirled around him. He grunted in pain as the realistic hologram attacked him directly.

"That's right!" Zygor cheered. "Squeeze the life-points right outta him!"

Ryou started laughing again though as he dropped his arm and shot his opponent another smirk.

" _Now_ what's so funny?" Bonz demanded.

"You'll soon find out," Ryou answered ominously. "You were so distracted by the hopeless thought of winning my star-chips and advancing to the finals, you failed to notice that I played a magic card." he activated the card, and as it revealed itself to Bonz, the zombie duelist gasp in horror.

"Oh no!"

"It's called Spiritualistic Medium," Ryou explained. "And it provides my Earl of Demise with an additional 500 attack points for every card destroyed during my turn."

"It can't!" his short opponent denied.

"Oh, it can, and if you remember correctly, I destroyed four of my own cards, giving my monster 2,000 more attack points. Go, my spirits," he ordered, arm extended as he felt a bit of a thrill at being able to command ghosts. "And add your power to my Earl of Demise!"

"Ah! It's grown too powerful!" Bonz cried as the Earl of Demise was given 4,000 attack points.

"Yes! Earl of Demise, destroy his mammoth!" The earl leapt forward and sliced his mammoth in half, laying waste to Bonz's life-points in the process.

"My… life-points…" Bonz was stunned, his eyes wide as he saw his own life-point counter drop to zero.

"I'm disappointed that this duel had to end so soon. I was really quite enjoying it." Ryou sighed a little as he started to look and sound more like his normal self. He shuffled his cards back together and slid his deck into its case as he stepped down from the Duel Arena. "Now you owe me your star-chips."

"No way, I'm not getting kicked out of this tournament!" Bonz cried suddenly, taking off at breakneck speed with his buddies hot on his heels.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Ryou exclaimed, running after them with Marik at his side.

"Good duel," the Egyptian praised as they ran.

"Thanks," Ryou panted with a faint smile. "Now come on, let's catch them and get my star-chips!"

* * *

Seto woke later that morning than he'd intended, but once he was up, he immediately began his search for another duelist to challenge. His search came to a halt, however, when he encountered a paper airplane on the ground. It was made of that thin beige paper used in cheap children's coloring books, and maybe that piqued his curiosity enough for him to pick it up and notice that it had been written on instead of colored on. He unfolded it carefully, and as he read the message, the blood drained from his face:

"My name is Adina Kaiba. Pegasus stole me and he is going to steal Mokuba too. Please get help!"

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I am _so_ sorry this chapter took so long to write! I couldn't find an online transcript of one of the episodes I needed, so I had to transcribe the dialogue by hand. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to write! ^-^

 _ **Please review and let me know what you think!**_

(1) Much of this dialogue was quoted directly from the English dubbed episode. For details on their duel, watch episodes 14 and 15 of Season 1.

(2) Most of this duel dialogue is adapted/quoted from Season 2, Episode 30 of the English dub.


	33. S1: Caves

"I think they're long gone," Ryou said with a sigh as he and Marik stopped to catch their breath. He was disappointed: it wasn't fair of them to withhold their star-chips from Ryou after he beat them in a fair duel.

"Look, over there!" Marik said suddenly, pointing to a pair of gold sparkles on the floor several yards in front of them. He approached them, Ryou following somewhat reluctantly, and picked them up, turning to the other with a triumphant smile.

"Looks like they dropped a couple of star-chips." He held them out and dropped them into Ryou's open palm. As the shorter teen secured the star-chips in his dueling glove, Marik watched him with sad eyes. "We might be able to find an official when we get out of this cave. If we tell them that your star-chips were stolen, surely they could do something about it."

"No, it's alright," Ryou replied with a shake of his head and a weak smile. "I'll just win another duel to get the last few star-chips. It's less trouble than trying to get my star-chips from Bonz."

Marik pulled Ryou into a tight hug, the other sighing a little and nuzzling against his companion.

"Don't let it get you down, okay?" the Egyptian teen murmured, receiving a nod from the other. Marik kissed the top of Ryou's head, sending warmth through his lover's body all the way down to his toes. As Ryou shifted his feet to stand closer to Marik, he felt one of his feet sink into the ground and a strange clicking noise.

"What was that?" Marik asked as he lifted his head to look around. Then they heard a rumbling off in the distance and looked back the way they'd come. A giant boulder was just starting to come into view as it rolled their way. The two panicked and released each other as they started to run down the tunnel, hoping to outrun it somehow.

"Where did that thing come from?" Marik was as surprised as Ryou.

"I think I activated a trap," Ryou answered in embarrassment. He'd looked at Marik as he answered, which might have been a bad idea, because right after he finished speaking, he stepped on his own shoelace and tripped. Marik shouted his name as the other teen was crushed under the boulder. Marik forced himself to stop, outraged at this turn of events and waited for the boulder to catch up to him. He threw a fist at it, thinking that it would be futile, but his fist dented the boulder and made it pop in a loud explosion of air. Blinking in surprise, Marik looked down and saw the shreds of balloon and the round speaker.

"It was _fake_?"

Marik looked up and saw Ryou push himself up off the floor, dusting off his hands as he approached the other. Marik threw himself at Ryou in another hug, making Ryou laugh light-heartedly.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me too." Ryou kissed Marik's cheek, giving him one last squeeze before releasing him. "Come on, let's figure out how to get out of here."

They kept walking for a little while longer, then came to what looked like the entrance to a maze.

"Oh great, we'll never escape," Ryou said with a despairing sigh, but in the next moment, one prong of the Millennium Ring began to glow gold and point towards the path on the right. Ryou blinked at it in surprise.

"Is it… showing us the way out?" Ryou asked hesitantly.

"That's possible," the other answered, hesitant to trust anything the Millennium Ring tried to tell them.

"The magic of the Ring is more than just the spirit, right?" Ryou glanced up at Marik with a questioning look, and Marik nodded. "I don't suppose it could do us any harm to follow it, then. I mean, even if the spirit is the one doing this, he would benefit from telling us how to get out. After all, if _we_ stay trapped here forever, then so is he, right?"

"I guess we have nothing to lose by following his directions," Marik conceded.

"Then let's go!"

* * *

"You're not going to get away with this Pegasus!" Seto shouted at the sky, Adina's letter clenched in one hand. "I _will_ rescue my brother!"

"I'd like to see you try, Seto-Boy." Pegasus chuckled to himself as he watched Seto on the video feed from his security cameras. He sipped his wine thoughtfully, then called out, "Croquette, send me Kemo. I have a mission for him."

"Right away, Mister Pegasus." Croquette bowed at the waist and left at a brisk pace to do his employer's bidding.

Pegasus sipped his wine again and sighed, watching as Seto started to stride purposefully towards his castle. Seto wasn't actually supposed to find out about Mokuba's kidnapping just yet. He'd planned on revealing it when all four finalists had entered the castle, and he'd been confident that Yugi and Seto would be among the finalists. He'd only found out about Seto bearing the Millennium Rod _after_ he'd stolen the soul of Yugi's grandfather, and it had made him wonder which one—the Puzzle or the Rod—was more powerful. So, in order to determine this, he'd planned on pitting them against each other in the semi-finals. Whoever bore the more powerful Millennium Item was sure to win the duel, and the winner would then go on to beat the other finalist and finally duel Pegasus himself, betting not only his soul and his title, but also his Millennium Item. And if that plan didn't work out, there was always the option of manipulating Seto into working on the holographic technology for him.

Adina's little stunt with the paper air-planes, though, changed things. His guards had found them that morning on the ground beneath her window. They'd picked all of those ones up and disposed of them, as Pegasus ordered, and he'd moved Adina and Mokuba to the dungeon as a punishment. He hadn't realized that she'd actually sent some of her letters so far out into the island.

"You have a mission for me, Mister Pegasus?" Kemo asked as he entered the room.

"Yes. Kemo, I need you to apprehend the current Duel Monsters champion and bring him here to me. My security system has pinpointed his location, so you should have no difficulty finding him."

"Yes Mister Pegasus. Right away, sir." Kemo bowed deferentially and left the room to acquire the target's location from one of Pegasus' security agents.

Pegasus turned off the security video feed and turned on his favorite cartoon: Funny Bunny. He sat back in his chair with a smile, prepared to enjoy himself as he waited for Seto to arrive.

* * *

 _You need to calm down, Seto._

 _Calm down?!_ Seto was outraged. _So you think I should just calmly accept the fact that my brother was kidnapped while I was gone at a card game tournament? I should just calmly accept the fact that Adina was kidnapped after I put her brother in a catatonic state?_

 _You shouldn't blame yourself for what he's done._

 _I don't blame myself for what he did,_ Seto mentally scoffed as he walked briskly towards Pegasus' castle. _But I could have prevented this just the same._

 _You couldn't have prevented this, Seto. We don't even know what all of this is about. Get a hold of yourself before you do something irrational._

 _I'm not going to let anything stop me from rescuing Mokuba, and if that means I have to be irrational, so be it._ Seto pulled the locket out from under his shirt and popped it open, looking at the picture of his brother when he was even littler than he was now. _I promise to rescue you, Mokuba. At any cost._

 _Some prices aren't worth paying,_ Seth pointed out in a solemn, quiet voice.

 _Mokuba's_ life _is at stake!_ the brunette snapped angrily. _And nothing's more important than my little brother. I promised our mother on her deathbed that I'd take care of him, and I will. He's always looked up to me, and I won't disappoint him. Not now, not_ ever _._

A rustling in the bushes that was too loud to be a squirrel startled Seto, making him stop and look around. He closed the locket and dropped it under his shirt as he called out, "Who's there?"

"So you're the kid who beat Kaiba, eh?" A man stepped out from behind a tree, and Seto recognized him as the announcer from yesterday when they'd gotten off the boat. "You're coming with me. Consider it a personal invitation from Mr. Pegasus himself." With that Kemo lunged toward Seto, aiming a punch at him. Seto's battle instincts kicked in and he ducked the other's fist, jabbing his elbow hard into the man's ribs, effectively winding him. Seto grabbed the front of the man's suit and threw him over his shoulder so that kemo sprawled on the ground, stunned from the impact.

"Actually, _you're_ coming with _me_." Seto smirked as he twisted the man's arm behind his back and hauled him up by the back of his collar. He was glad that he was strong and had experience fighting, because otherwise, he would have been dragged away like a ragdoll. " _You_ are going to help me find Mokuba, wherever Pegasus is keeping him. And You're going to start by getting me into that castle." Seto lifted his gaze to the castle that peeked out above the tree cover, narrowing his eyes with determination. As he started leading his hostage towards the grandiose castle, he could feel Seth's disappointment in the back of his mind.

 _It was self-defense._

 _I know,_ Seth sighed, sounding unhappy. Seto could tell that he was holding back, but he was too preoccupied to be concerned about it right now. He wasn't going to let an ancient spirit stop him from doing everything he could to save his little brother, even if the spirit _was_ himself in a past life.

Seth could see the trajectory of these events far more clearly than Seto could, and he feared that he wouldn't be able to talk some sense into Seto before he made a terrible mistake.

* * *

"Don't cry, Adina," Mokuba pleaded as his younger companion started to sniffle. "We're going to be okay." He scooted closer to her over the dirty stone floor of their cell and hugged her reassuringly. He felt bad seeing her upset like this, and he was trying to do what he thought Seto would do for him in this situation.

"Can you promise that?" she asked, barely restraining the tears that threatened to flood her cheeks.

"My big brother won't let us down!" Mokuba proclaimed. "He promised to protect me, and he never breaks a promise. That means that he'll rescue us no matter what it takes!"

"I wish my big brother was like that." Adina started to cry, and Mokuba hugged her more tightly, taking pity on her.

"My big brother could be your brother too, if you want," he offered innocently. "And I know he won't rescue me and leave you behind." He picked up his locket and opened it, showing her the picture of Seto as she wiped her nose on her sleeve. "See? My brother gave this to me to prove that we'll always be together, even when we're apart. He's a good person, and he would never dream of leaving you behind."

"Okay, I believe you," Adina whimpered, still looking terrified. Mokuba closed his locket and gave her another hug. While he didn't like being here anymore than she did, and he didn't doubt the fact that Seto would come to save them, he didn't know how long it was going to take. That worried him more than anything else.

* * *

It took over an hour for Seto and Kemo to approach and sneak into Pegasus' castle. But when Kemo set off the alarm, Seto dashed off, feeling certain that he had a good idea of where he was going by this point. After sneaking past some of the guards-and knocking others unconscious when necessary-he could tell that he was getting close. Seth didn't comment much, unless it was to point out something that Seto hadn't seen or to warn him of an approaching guard that Seto didn't notice. Seth was disturbed by this turn of events, but Seto was flat-out furious. He only became more so when he found Mokuba and Adina Kaiba.

"Mokuba, are you alright?" He went up to the edge of their cell and gripped the bars, his eyes large as he realized that both children were chained to the wall by their ankles in addition to being imprisoned in a dark, dank dungeon. His fury was growing quickly, and Seth was just glad that he'd never told Seto that the Millennium Rod contained a hidden blade. He was afraid of what he might do with it now if only he knew it was available to him.

"Seto! It's you!" Mokuba looked overjoyed.

"Yeah, it's me," Seto replied softly, a small smile gentling his features. For just a moment, all of the anger left him. Knowing that his little brother was okay meant more to him than anything else.

"I always knew you would come rescue me," Mokuba said with a grin, a hand going up to grip his locket. "I always believed in you." The raven-haired child jumped to his feet and tried to run towards his brother, but cried out as he was held back by the chains and fell to his knees.

"Stay still, Mokuba. I don't want you to get hurt," Seto said quickly, his smile fading as easily as it had appeared. "Just hold one minute to pick the lock, and I'll get you both out of there."

"Okay!" Mokuba seemed cheerful, as if he'd already been freed.

"Thank you, Seto," Adina said in a small, quivering voice.

"You're welcome." He dropped to his knees in front of the lock and pulled a paper-clip out of his backpack's side-pocket. He straightened it out using his teeth and inserted it into the locking mechanism along with the narrowed end of the Millennium Rod, working at the lock as best he could.

 _How do you know how to pick locks?_ Seth asked curiously.

 _It's a long story, and I'm short on time. Ask me again later._ Seto's response was brisk, but mostly because he was trying to focus on completing his task while using tools that were not quite ideal.

"Well, well, isn't this adorable? Two brothers, reunited at last."

Seto looked up warily as he heard Pegasus' voice, glaring at the CEO as he approached them. He clapped his hands in a mocking applause, making Seto's fury flood his mind all over again. He glared at the billionaire and stood up, eyes narrowed not only in anger, but also in fear. After all, this was the man who felt no qualms about treating children like hardened criminals. There was no telling what he might do.

"Pegasus."

"I knew you'd come for your little brother eventually. That's why I sent you an escort." Pegasus chuckled in a way that made Seto grit his teeth. Nothing about this was funny. "However, it seems you prefer to do things your own way."

"Oh, did you now?" Seto growled, unaware of the way Mokuba and Adina started to huddle together in their cell, terrified of their captor. His grip on the Millennium Rod tightened. "Then tell me something, Pegasus: Did you foresee what I'm about to do to you for hurting my little brother?"

"Actually, I predict that you won't lay a finger on me." He smirked as Seto scowled.

"Oh _really_?" Seto raised the Millennium Rod and tried to blast Pegasus with Seth's Shadow magic, but Pegasus was quick to retaliate, their forces meeting in the middle and glowing brightly in the dim tunnels. The children cried out in fear, awe, and surprise, neither of them truly understanding what was happening right now. Seto was strong and determined, but he was also much less inexperienced at wielding magic than Pegasus was. The older man overpowered him, knocking Seto to the floor as the teen cried out. Pegasus chuckled, and his Eye started to glow again. Seto closed his eyes against the blinding light, but when he opened his eyes again, he was shocked by what he saw. Mokuba and Adina had slumped to the ground, unconscious and, as far as Seto could tell, lifeless.

"Mokuba!" he cried out. "What have you done to them?" Seto demanded as he stood somewhat shakily, affected by the use of magic more than he'd anticipated.

Pegasus began to laugh like a maniac, further angering the teenager. It was then that Seto noticed that Pegasus was holding up a pair of Duel Monster cards, both with gold frames, like monster cards. As he watched, the image of a frightened Mokuba appeared on one card, and a horrified Adina appeared on the other.

"You monster!" Seto shouted, reveling in anger as he tried to shut out the fear he felt. "What have you done? What have you done to them?!" Seth ached with pity for Seto, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make this better.

"Just a little magic trick," Pegasus answered casually, further infuriating the brunette.

"Tell me _now_." Seto's voice was fierce, his glare like that of a dangerous predator. _"What have you done?"_

"I've ensured your cooperation, for you see… I've sealed their souls in a place where the locks _can't_ be picked." Pegasus giggled again, pleased with himself.

"You're insane! You're not human!" It took all of Seto's strength to keep himself from assaulting Pegasus right there and then.

"And there he will _remain_ , Seto, until you beat me in a duel." His sly smile made him look like a caricature snake.

"Duel? With you? Now? Fine! I'll do anything!" Seth winced at Seto's choice of words.

Pegasus shook his head and teased, "Not just yet, Seto-Boy! First, you need to _earn_ the privilege to challenge me. And you can only do that be beating Yugi in a duel."

Seto gaped at him, and started to ask, "Yugi? What does _he_ have to do with—"

"And if you can't win against _him_ ," Pegasus continued, interrupting Seto and making the Duel Monsters Champion feel further degraded. "Mokuba's soul will stay mine _forever_!" He laughed again, sounding giddy with elation, the sound deepening Seto's new-found hatred for the man.

"I'll do whatever I have to," Seto said in a low voice. "I'll be back." He gripped the Millennium Rod tightly in one hand as he walked away stiffly, his mind burning with a desire for revenge.

"Oh yes, my little Champion," Pegasus crooned to himself, now alone in the dungeon with two unconscious children. He started t stroll in the other direction, back towards the main part of his castle as he sang to himself. "You'll be back, soon you'll see, you'll realize that you belong to me~"

Seto was just one of many pieces in his game, and he was playing his part perfectly.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Who do _you_ think will win in the duel between Yugi and Seto? Will Seto use the strategy that canon Seto Kaiba used?! Let me know what _you_ think will happen in a review! Or, just tell me what you think, because reviews are the lifeblood of an author like me. ^_^

 _Disclaimer: Some dialogue adapted from episodes 20 and 21 of the English dubbed anime, Season One._


	34. S1: Bluff

**Author Notes:** Ugh, Duelist Kingdom rules were not my friend this time around. X( I tried not to make the duel last forever, but I couldn't finish it within the same chapter. Sorry. :(

Also to keep the duel from being way too long, I summarized just their moves in some parts and left out the dialogue. In these sections, though, the dialogue doesn't stop, I'm just telling you bits and pieces of what they say. Don't let that confuse you. It's not a silent duel. They never stop talking, just like in the anime.

* * *

"Who else did you duel today, Joey?" Ryou asked as the five friends ascended the stairs to Pegasus' castle.

"This morning I took out Bandit Keith," the blond answered with a grin. "He was one cheating basta—Hey!" He was cut off as Anzu whacked him upside the head and shot him a glare. She utilized far more effective methods than his parents when it came to getting Joey to clean up his language. "I mean, he was a cheating jerk." He glared right back at her and muttered, "Happy now?"

"Very." She stuck her little nose in the air and marched up the steps as Ryou and Marik tried not to laugh at the exchange. Yugi just grinned as he watched her go ahead of Joey on the stairs, his eyes momentarily distracted by the way her skirt swished with her hips.

"How about you?" Joey asked Ryou, trying to change the subject

"I dueled a zombie duelist in the caves named Bonz. Like I told you when we met up in the maze, he ran away with his star-chips instead of giving me what I was due." He looked sad for a moment. "Well, what matters most is that in the end, you and I defeated the Paradox brothers and we all made it out of that cave safe and sound!" Ryou turned to Yugi then. "How did you get _your_ ten star-chips, Yugi?"

"I dueled an Eliminator named PaniK last night," he answered, making Joey grimace a little. "He was a pretty sleazy guy who used a lot of underhanded tactics. He'd beaten Mai and taken all of her star-chips, so I won her star-chips back for her—and some for myself, of course!" It would have been foolish not to make that bet, especially since PaniK had been so confident that he would win he would have bet anything.

"I can't believe all three of you qualified for the finals!" Marik said cheerfully, reaching over to give Ryou's hand a squeeze. He was especially proud of Ryou, naturally. "I wonder if Seto qualified too."

"I wouldn't doubt it for a moment," Yugi said with a smile. "Seto's not the champion for nothing." Even though nearly every duel between Seto and Yugi had either ended in a tie or remained unfinished, and Yugi knew better than to think that was sheer luck. Seto was a winner by nature. He didn't stop until he was on top, whether it was a fistfight or a game of chess. Yugi was just glad that so far, it hadn't negatively impacted his friendships.

"Look!" Anzu pointed up ahead to the top of the stairs where Seto stood, his arms crossed, his long, dark purple coat being tugged by the wind. "I guess he did. Maybe he's waiting for us!"

Something was really bothering Ryou, though, as he looked up at Seto. He pulled Joey aside as the other three rushed up the stairs towards their mutual friend.

"Doesn't he seem... different to you?" Ryou asked quietly, looking up at Seto with a worried expression. "You two are really close. You can tell that something's off about him, right?"

"Yeah," Joey said quietly as he realized that Ryou was right. "That's how he looks when he's ready to tear someone's head off." Ryou gave Joey a strange look. "What? He and I used to fight all the time, remember? I know what he looks like when he's angry." They exchanged a worried glance before hurrying to catch up with their friends. They caught up just in time.

"Yugi." Seto sapphire eyes burned into the shorter teen from his higher ground. "Do you remember the day I defeated Noah Kaiba at Death-T?"

It seemed a strange way to open the conversation.

"Yes. I said I looked forward to dueling you someday." Yugi blinked up at Seto in understanding.

"I'd like to cash in that rain-check now, if that's alright with you."

"Of course," Yugi answered with a nod, but Anzu stopped him.

"Wait, Seto. Yugi already has ten star-chips. He doesn't have to duel you," she protested.

"No, Anzu, it's okay," Yugi reassured, holding up a hand to make her stop. He and Seto exchanged a look of their own, one that few of their spectators understood.

They had never seen eye to eye—and that wasn't just because of their height difference. Seto wasn't afraid to fight for what he believed in, to fight to protect those he cared about, to protect the innocents. Yugi was a pacifist and would rather take a beating than cause another person harm. Yugi believed the world was full of goodness. Seto saw the evil that lay hidden within everything and everyone. Yugi was optimistic. Seto was a pessimistic realist. The only place they could ever seem to meet in conflict without true contention was in a duel. Duels were the foundation of their tenuous friendship, and until the day when they started to see the world the same way, duels were the only thing that could strengthen it.

"We'll play using my newest innovation in holographic duel technologies," Seto said as he led them over to a clear space on an annex of the crenelated ramparts of the high castle wall. Seto stopped and turned, opening his backpack, pulling something out, and handing it to Yugi. "This a prototype of the new Duel Disk. It's a new high-tech dueling device that allows players the realism of arena matches in any setting."

"Whoah!" Ryou was impressed. _This must be what Seto has been working on lately at KaibaCorp,_ he thought.

"Looks like a flyin' saucer ta me," Joey remarked casually. Seto shot him a glare, but his expression softened ever so slightly as Joey grinned at him and Seto realized that his friend was just playing dumb for a laugh. Seto equipped himself with his own Duel Disk and he and Yugi parted, walking several paces away so that there was plenty of space between them.

"First insert your shuffled dueling deck into the display drive recognizer. A lifepoint count will light up and keep score for you the entire match," Seto instructed, demonstrating by placing his own shuffled deck in his Duel Disk. "Then choose a card to play and set it on the digital card reader. I think the rest will explain itself."

Yugi slotted his own deck and the life-point counter appeared: 2000. "What's the bet?" he asked, looking up at his own opponent.

"Five star-chips. Whoever wins will be the only one who gets to enter the castle."

Anzu started to fret as each duelist removed five star-chips from his dueling glove—for Seto, it was all the star-chips he had, since he hadn't dueled since yesterday—and tossed them to a place in the center between them.

Seto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to clear his mind. He needed to be at his best right now. He couldn't afford to lose. He closed his eyes for a moment. He could see Mokuba and Adina in his mind's eye, slumped over on the cold stone floor inside a prison cell. _I_ will _help you, Mokuba! There's not a power on Earth that will stop me—not Pegasus, not Yugi!_

As the brunette closed his eyes, so did Yugi. He was tapping into the power of the Millennium Puzzle, summoning the pharaoh's spirit to his aid. They were going to fight this duel together, like always.

"All set?" Seto asked, and Yugi nodded. "Then let's duel! Stand back and prepare for battle!"

They drew their starting hands, and Seth watched the duel as he held his breath. The tension among the spectators was palpable, none of them knowing for whom to cheer. Anzu leaned towards cheering for Yugi, and Joey leaned towards cheering for Seto, but Ryou and Marik were caught in the middle. Ryou liked and respected them both; he couldn't be asked to choose between them. Marik favored both of them equally, for they were both pharaohs he'd sworn to serve with his life. Now he understood what people meant when they said, "You cannot serve two masters." While they may or may not have made up their minds individually, they all held their tongues for now.

Seto placed a card on the card reader, placed the cards of his hand on the disk's outer slots, and threw his disk to the ground where it spun perpetually, generating holographic sparks that wove together into his first monster of the duel.

"I play Ryu-Kishin, in attack mode!" Attack 1600/Defense 1200.

Seto's hand fanned out in front of him, each holographic card as tall as he was. His hand consisted of Battle Ox, Saggi the Dark Clown, Magic Lamp, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. A good hand.

"Look, the cards!" Anzu cried, as if the others didn't see the same thing she did.

"They're holograms—just like the monsters!" Joey was genuinely impressed, but then again, Seto never ceased to impress him.

Yugi placed his own cards accordingly and threw his own Duel Disk. "On your guard. I play Curse of Dragon, in attack mode!" Attack 2000/Defense 1500.

"Huh." Seto smirked a little. "Well done. A formidable card, Yugi, and a play I would expect from a duelist of your caliber."

"Don't patronize me!" Yugi shot back. It had begun: the bragging, the overconfidence, the big talk that seemed to accompany almost every tournament duel.

"Yugi, I know from playing you you're a talented duelist; but you're _just_ not as good as I am. Listen up—only one duelist is gonna challenge Pegasus, and that's _me!_ "

 _Why don't you just tell them the truth?_ Seth asked in despair.

"Wrong," Yugi retorted, wearing a smug grin of his own.

 _Because Pegasus said that I have to defeat Yugi in a duel, and if Yugi knows what's going on, he won't give it his all,_ Seto snapped back, starting to scowl. _I need to earn this victory. I won't have it just handed over to me._

"Then attack, and find out. What's the matter, Yugi, no faith in your monster?"

"You'll see—he's mightier than yours! Go, Curse of Dragon! Attack Ryu-Kishin! _Dragon flame!_ " Curse of Dragon soared high into the air and singed Ryu-Kishin off the field. "There—Ryu-Kishin is no more." Yugi's eyes left Seto's to study his own hand for a moment: Multiply, Monster Replace, Dark Magician, and The Eye of Truth. Seto's life-points fell to 1600, and he retracted his disk, smirking as he rearranged his cards.

"Hm. You're good, but oh so predictable. Don't you think I _expected_ that attack? And once again, you've played _right into my hands_ , Yugi."

Yugi didn't so much as twitch as he watched Seto, waiting for him to play his card.

"He's bluffing!" Anzu called, finally speaking from the peanut gallery. "You already have Seto on the ropes! All right, go Yugi!" As the first one to pick a side, she had drawn the first line in the sand. Marik and Ryou glanced at each other briefly, both wondering if this could possibly end well.

"It's not a bluff; as you will _all_ soon see." He drew his card, then placed his draw on the center of the disk before throwing it out once more. "I summon Swordstalker!" The sparks solidified into a hulking purple demon warrior, a red cape fluttering behind him. "The Swordstalker gathers the life force of a fallen ally, raising his own attack power by twenty percent." His monster's attack points went from 2000 to 2400 automatically.

"So _that's_ why Seto allowed his Ryu-Kishin to be defeated so easily!" Yami realized aloud, speaking somewhat quietly to himself. "So he could use its energy to create an even _stronger_ monster. And now that he's done that, his Swordstalker's attack strength is even greater than that of my Curse of Dragon!"

"Good move, Seto!" Joey called out, cheering on the brunette. "Way ta go!"

"Attack now, Swordstalker!" Seto barely glanced at Joey. "Vengeance strike!"

Yugi used Magic Replace to swap his Curse of Dragon with his Dark Magician for the duration of Seto's turn, using dark magic attack to destroy his Swordstalker. On his next turn, Seto used his La Jinn (1800/1000) and Magic Lamp combo, deflecting Yugi's attack and turning it back on his monsters, effectively destroying Curse of Dragon. Now their scores were even at 1500 life-points each, and Yugi had one monster on the field: Dark Magician, in attack mode. His hand contained Horn of the Unicorn, Multiply, Swords of Revealing Light, and The Eye of Truth.

 _I've never seen Seto duel this intensely before,_ Yugi observed, his words audible only to Yami. _It's like everything he has is riding on the outcome of this duel._

 _Do not worry, Aibou,_ Yami assured, sensing his hikari's concerns. _However this duel ends, we'll still be friends. He's too noble to be sore and petty about losing a card game._

Yugi played Swords of Revealing Light, and since the Magic Lamp made La Jinn untouchable, he didn't bother trying to attack. Seto then activated his De-Spell card to destroy the Swords. Yugi drew "Mystic Box" and used The Eye of Truth to see that Seto's hand contained Saggi the Dark Clown and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Why hadn't he summoned it yet? It didn't make sense for him to keep it in his hand when he could use it to eliminate the Dark Magician.

"I don't know what he has planned, but it must be a powerful strategy," Ryou murmured to Marik as they watched the duel with wide eyes. "I've never seen him duel with such precision before. It's like he's calculated every move he could possibly make, every combo he could possibly use. Nothing seems to faze him."

Yugi's use of the Mystic Box destroyed his opponent's Magic Lamp, allowing his Dark Magician to attack and destroy La Jinn. Seto's life-points dropped from 1500 to 800, making him grit his teeth in frustration. He'd known that this battle wouldn't be easy, but even the slightest hint that he might lose this duel set him on edge. Adrenaline was pumping through his system, his pulse quick as he tried to suppress his nerves.

Seto then drew his Crush Card Virus and smirked, knowing that he had the advantage. He summoned Saggi the Dark Clown (600/1500) in defense mode and lay one card face-down. Yugi called the Dark Magician back to his hand, then drew and summoned Gaia the Fierce Knight to the field in attack mode. Gaia attacked Saggi, destroying him, but what he didn't know was that Saggi had been infected with the Crush Card Virus, so now Yugi's deck was infected, automatically destroying all monsters on his field or in his hand with attack power 1500 or higher. All high-powered monsters in Yugi's deck were also rendered useless. Yugi hadn't seen the move coming, and he had to admit that he was impressed.

"That's a dirty trick, Seto!" Anzu shouted at him, angry on Yugi's behalf.

"It's how the card works," he retorted coldly. "I'm just playing by the rules of the game."

"Yeah, Anzu, it's the rules of the game!" Joey said with crossed arms. "You never even played Duel Monsters!"

"I have too!" she exclaimed, stomping one foot as she rounded on Joey. "What are you, his guard dog? I didn't think that Seto needed _you_ to fight his battles for him!"

"Don't call me a dog," Joey growled, fists clenched at his sides as he glared down at the spunky teen.

"Hey, break it up, you two," Marik reprimanded, looking cross. "They're in the middle of a duel!"

Seto drew one card, Gift of the Mystical Elf, and passed his turn, which only intrigued Yugi further. The shorter duelist drew Summoned Skull, but it was useless to him thanks to Seto's virus, so he summoned Silver Fang (1200/800) in defense mode. Seto drew his second Blue-Eyes, and felt a small thrill of triumph. He summoned Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode and destroyed Silver Fang. Yugi drew and summoned Griffore (1200/1500) and equipped it with Horn of the Unicorn, raising its stats to 1900/2000. He attacked and destroyed Battle Ox, reducing Seto's life-points from 800 to 600.

Seto was biting his lip as he drew his next card, but smiled to himself as he was filled with confidence. His third Blue-Eyes was now in his hand. He summoned one Blue-Eyes (3000/2500) then activated Gift of the Mystical Elf, which raised his life-points by 300 for each monster on the field, raising his life-points to 1200. When he attacked Griffore, he devastated Yugi's life-points, making them drop to 400.

Yugi was starting to feel a little nervous. He drew and summoned his Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) in defense mode, looking down at his hand as he tried to plan his next move: Multiply, Mammoth Graveyard, Polymerization. Seto drew his card, and grinned broadly.

"I use polymerization to fuse together my Blue-Eyes with the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my hand, creating the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The creature was truly a glorious sight to behold, rearing its three majestic heads as it gave a piercing cry. All of his friends gasped in shock, none of them having even known the existence of that monster.

 _You need to stop this, Seto._

 _Why should I stop?_ Seto demanded, becoming increasingly frustrated with the Spirit of the Millennium Rod. _I'm winning, in case you couldn't tell. My victory is assured._

 _Nothing is assured,_ Seth reminded him sternly. _Listen to me, Seto. I see where this is going much better than you do. Stop now, before it's too late._

 _Since when can you see the future?_

 _I can't, but it was_ shown _to me,_ (1) Seth replied, starting to grow frantic. _I can't tell you what will happen, but I know that if you keep going like this that—_

Seto couldn't take it anymore. _It's_ my _little brother whose soul is at stake, and I'll be doing this_ my _way!_

 _Just_ listen _to me, Seto!_

"Shut _up_ , Seth!" Seto shouted aloud without meaning to, and for a moment, they all got a glimpse of the intense anger he was working so hard to control right now. He jerked the Millennium Rod out of his beltloop—his usual spot for it—and gripped it tightly for a moment. Then he pulled his arm back and threw it towards the edge.

"No!" Marik dashed away from the others to catch the artifact before it fell into the woods hundreds of feet below them. He clutched it close to himself, staring up at Seto in horror. The brunette wasn't paying any attention to him at the moment, though.

"What is going on?" Ryou whispered to Marik, deeply disturbed by the turn of events. During the whole duel, Seto's behavior had been bothering him. Seto and Seth were supposed to be working together, like Yami and Yugi, weren't they? So why would he throw the Millennium Rod away? What had Seth said that set Seto off like that?

"Blue-Eyes, attack with neutron blast!" The three-headed dragon (4500/3800) reared back its three heads and launched a blinding attack of pure power at Yugi's stone soldier, annihilating it entirely.

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi." Seto's eyes blazed, and Anzu took a step forward, her mouth open to shout something back, but Joey put his arm out to stop her. She looked up at him indignantly, but was surprised by the blond's grim expression.

"He can fend for himself," Joey said quietly, returning Anzu's gaze. "Yugi's stronger than you think."

"My grandpa's deck _has_ no pathetic cards!" Yugi placed a card on his card reader and threw the disk out again, saying, "I summon Kuriboh, in defense mode!" The adorable fluff-ball materialized on the field, its stats disappointingly low: 300 attack, 200 defense.

Seto chuckled, the sound low and scornful. It quickly escalated into a loud, haughty laugh that made Yugi narrow his eyes at his opponent.

"I'm not done yet," Yugi said, placing another card on his Duel Disk. "I activate Multiply, generating an endless army of Kuriboh to defend my life-points!"

"Cute, real cute," Seto scoffed. "Blue-Eyes, attack with neutron blast!" His god-like dragon blasted at the wall of Kuriboh, and while some of them disintegrated, many of them remained, and more Kuriboh immediately began to fill the whole.

"What?!" Seto exclaimed. His stomach sank and he swallowed hard, trying not to let it unbalance him. Surely there must be some kind of mistake. This couldn't be happening. Nobody, not even Yugi, no matter how good of a duelist he might be, was going to stand in his way. Nothing would stop him from rescuing his little brother. Nothing.

* * *

(1) Remember when Seth talked to canonical Seto Kaiba during his Shadow Chess game with Noah Kaiba? ;)

 **P.S.** Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_


	35. S1: Dare

"Wait, what's going on? My attack had no effect on your life-points at all and those annoying creatures continue to multiply!"

"That's right, Seto, and you can't take my remaining life-points away until you destroy all the Kuriboh!" Yugi looked infuriatingly smug as he spoke.

"Hairballs," Seto growled, glaring at the many Kuriboh that he was just too angry to find adorable. "They've coming back even faster than I can blast them away."

"That's right. You might have created the ultimate attack monster, but I've created the ultimate defense: an ever-expanding army of furry protectors. They might not look like much, but they've stopped your dragon in its tracks. That's just the beginning, for now I go on the attack!" he declared, looking so confident that Seto knew it couldn't be a bluff, but he contradicted him anyways.

"Impossible. You don't have a monster strong enough."

"Watch me." That smug smirk made Seto even angrier. "For I'm going to show you the combination that will take your dragon down. Mammoth Graveyard, Polymerization, and the Living Arrow." As Yugi spoke, the holographic cards turned and revealed their card art. "Normally, I make a fusion with my cards, but, for a new twist, Living Arrow lets me fuse my cards with your cards, opening up bold new possibilities."

Seto wanted to yell at Yugi in that moment, scream that he'd never been bold for a single moment of his life. How dare he choose _this_ moment to grow a set and step up his game. Somehow, though, he managed to keep his mouth shut. Some small part of his mind was vaguely aware of the fact that he was essentially murdering his tenuous friendships, but he couldn't focus on that right now. He couldn't even _care_ about that right now. He only cared about Mokuba.

"Now, I will use my Living Arrow and Polymerization to fuse my Mammoth Graveyard with your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The three holographic cards were overlaid and a glowing arrow shot out from them that pierced the three-headed dragon, making it screech in pain. Seto bit his lip just to hear the sad sound. Their friends gasped as they watched the dragon begin to melt, crippled by the effects of Mammoth Graveyard.

"I can't watch this," Ryou murmured, his eyes still glued to Seto's dragon. He felt another hand brush against his and interlock their fingers. He glanced over at Marik, who smiled at him gently. "It's just so hard to watch."

"They'll still be friends after this, you know," Marik murmured in Egyptian so that only Ryou could understand him. "Neither of them are so petty as to stop being friends over a card-game."

"I've never seen Seto duel like this before," Ryou replied worriedly, still speaking privately as the duel progressed before them. "I've never seen him this _angry_ before."

They fell silent as Seto's dragon began to deteriorate, losing attack points with each turn that passed. Seto himself seemed to have hit a wall, as if he were incapable of processing the fact that no matter how many times he attacked, he would never annihilate all the Kuriboh on Yugi's side of the field.

"Go Yugi!" Anzu shouted, making Joey glare at her.

"Come on, Seto, you can still win this!" the blond called out, trying to encourage his friend. "Just shake it off! Don't let 'im get to ya!"

Seto didn't seem to hear either of them. He didn't look their way and he didn't react, simply continued to duel. Twice more he attacked, and twice more he failed. His ultimate dragon's attack points dropped to a level low enough that after his second attack, Yugi summoned his Celtic Guardian and was able to cut down one of the dragon's heads. Seto couldn't see a way out. He felt cornered, trapped, just like the way he'd felt every Thursday night during the darkest period of his life…

Seto was slipping, his grip loosening, his mind freezing as the inevitability of defeat sent terror through him. He couldn't lose. He couldn't _afford_ to lose. Sure, he had cards in his deck that could help him out of this, but he didn't have any of them in his hand, and he didn't have the _time_ to wait to draw them. Next turn, his dragon's attack points would further drop and—

He could see Mokuba in the dungeon, his soul stolen, rotting away because his brother wasn't strong enough. He could hear Mokuba screaming for help.

"You promised you'd save me!" Mokuba cried in his mind. "You promised, you promised! You told me that you'd never break a promise!"

Seto could see him crying, alone, abandoned, betrayed. He could see Seth glaring at him in disgust and anger.

"You're rotten to the core, Seto, just like your dragon."

Mokuba was sinking, swallowed up by a tangible darkness as he screamed for salvation.

He _couldn't_ let that happen, but he didn't see how he could stop it. He couldn't live with himself if—

That was it. He had an epiphany that would make Seth furious, but it couldn't possibly make him any angrier than he'd be if he failed to save his little brother.

"Face it, Seto," Yugi was saying as his opponent's mind returned its focus to their present situation. "Your dragon is finished. It's over."

"Yugi." Seto closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. He knew what he needed to do. "My Blue-Eyes may have failed me, but I still have one strategy left." He took a step backwards. Then another, and another.

"What's he doing?" Anzu asked in a horrified whisper.

"He's gone nuts!" Joey exclaimed, then called out in a louder voice, "Seto, stop!"

The brunette halted as he stepped up onto the ledge, the wind tugging at his long coat as his narrowed eyes met Yugi's widened ones.

"Get down from there, Seto! It's just a card-game!" Ryou cried, starting to panic. Marik pulled Ryou closer to his side, trying to comfort him. Marik himself remained silent, angry with the other teen for his behavior, but waiting to see if he came to his senses before things went too far.

"What are you _doing_?"

"If you attack me, Yugi," Seto answered smoothly, sounding much too calm for his current position. "The shockwaves will likely knock me off the wall completely. It's fifty feet from here to the ground, which would give me, oh, about a fifty-percent chance of survival. Even if I do live, I'd be injured terribly. Probably paralyzed. You wouldn't want to be responsible for that, now would you?"

"How dare you—! What is _wrong_ with you, Seto?" Anzu screamed at him, tripping over her own words. She lunged towards him, but Joey grabbed her arm and stopped her.

Joey was even angrier than Marik because he knew Seto better. He'd seen the brunette suffer and struggle and stand his ground. He'd seen him violent and paranoid and exhausted. He'd seen him being protective and kind and noble. Between Death-T, Monster World, and his former prostitution, Seto's character had been well exposed to Joey. He'd thought that he knew him well, but this cruel, manipulative behavior didn't fit with anything that he'd seen before.

"Get down from there, Seto!" Yugi ordered, but Seto didn't move an inch. This troubled Yugi deeply. If Seto was serious about this, he couldn't risk attacking him and trying to call his bluff. At the same time, Yugi couldn't risk losing. He needed to win so that he could enter the castle and challenge Pegasus to reclaim his grandfather's soul. Why was Seto putting him in such a difficult position?

 _We need to attack._

 _No, this isn't right._

 _It's the only way._

 _I can't—_

 _We must._

Yugi drew a card from his deck, added it to his hand, and shouted, "Celtic Guardian, attack!" The holographic elf lifted his sword over his shoulder and began to run towards the rotting dragon. Seto didn't flinch, didn't even blink.

Would it hurt to die? Would it just feel like falling asleep?

"I can't watch this," Ryou whimpered again, turning to Marik and throwing his arms around the Egyptian's neck, squeezing his eyes shut as he held his breath and waited for it to be over.

"No, Yugi, you can't!" Anzu screamed, pulling out of Joey's grasp and running towards their shorter friend. "Call off the attack!"

Yugi's face contorted as he struggled within himself and against the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.

"Stop!" he finally screamed. The Celtic Guardian slowed and came to a stop mere feet away from the melting Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. It turned to look back at its master, as if confused, but Yugi had dropped to his knees, so overwhelmed with emotion that tears began to flow down his cheeks.

Seto had been saved by Yugi's better nature, but he didn't look triumphant or relieved. His expression remained unchanged. He didn't speak again until he'd drawn the top card from his deck.

"I use Monster Reborn to revive the third head of my Blue-Eyes!" A new head for his dragon materialized, its original stats restored. Now his dragon was strong enough to bring him to victory. "Blue-Eyes, White Lightning attack!" A blast of white-hot energy incinerated the Celtic Guardian and demolished Yugi's sparse life-points. The duel was over. He'd won, but at what cost?

Only Yugi's sobs and Seto's footsteps could be heard as the brunette stepped off the ledge and went to gather up the star-chips and Duel Disks. Anzu was at his side as Yugi shakily removed his deck from his before handing it to Seto, who carefully put them both back in his backpack.

"I can't believe you." Joey stepped up as Seto started to pass him, blocking his way to the castle's entrance. "I always knew you had an ego, but I didn't know you'd really do _anything_ to win."

Seto's icy eyes finally connected with Joey's blazing ones, making eye contact with him for the first time that day.

"Does the title of champion really mean that _much_ to you? Does it?" the blond demanded, his anger further riled by Seto's steady silence. "Are you really that _arrogant_ that you can't _stand_ to let someone else win it? _Are_ you?" Joey grabbed Seto by the front of his shirt, earning him a fierce glare from his friend. Seto grabbed Joey's hand and twisted, making Joey release his hold and wince as he found himself unable to break free.

"You don't understand," the champion growled in a low voice, the words ground out slowly. "You couldn't _possibly_ understand." That was all the defense he made for himself before casting Joey aside and striding away at a brisk pace. When he came to the door, he turned in his star-chips and entered the castle. Marik glared after him as he comforted Ryou, who was almost as upset as Yugi was by all of this.

"Hey bud, are you okay?" Joey asked, crouching down in front of Yugi, who stared at the ground as he cried on his hands and knees.

"I couldn't control it… the other presence inside me," Yugi whispered, lifting a hand to wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

"You mean, the pharaoh?" Joey asked gently, trying to clarify.

"Yes." Yugi tried to blink the tears from his eyes as Anzu got down to sit beside him, putting a hand on his back to try and reassure him.

"I'm sorry about your grandpa, Yugi." Anzu was fighting tears of her own now. "You could never hurt somebody else, though, not even for him."

"He wouldn't want to be rescued that way," Joey assured, thinking that his words were helpful. "You did the right thing."

"I know, but… I almost couldn't stop him." Yugi veiled his violet eyes from view as he tried to take a steady breath. "What if I never learn to control him? I can't promise that it won't happen again… If I don't know how to stop him, then I'm never going to duel again."

"What?" Joey blinked at his friend in shock. "But Yug, you're one of the best duelists I know!" No response. "You're grandpa's countin' on you! I'm dueling for 'im too, but you know I can't beat Seto! He's just too good!"

"That's enough, Joey," Anzu snapped, glaring at Joey before pulling Yugi up into a sitting position and hugging him tightly. She would do anything it took to make Yugi feel better, her pity for the pure-hearted teenager filling her with determination.

As the three of them spoke, Marik and Ryou seemed to be in a world of their own. Marik's arms were wrapped around Ryou, who'd slid his hands to Marik's chest and let his arms be folded between them. That created enough space that Ryou could comfortably rest his forehead on Marik's shoulder.

"How could he do that?" Ryou whispered, his breathing quick and shallow. "He could have died… he almost _did_ die! How _could_ he… Why? _Why_ would he do such an horrible thing?"

"I do not know." Marik's grip on the Millennium Rod tightened momentarily, then he shifted a little to tuck it into a belt-loop at his back, just as Seto carried it. He replaced his arm to hug Ryou more tightly. "Let us just be grateful that he is okay now." Of course Seto wasn't alright if he was threatening suicide in order to win a duel, but physically he was fine.

"I don't understand…"

"We will figure it out, okay?" Marik kissed the top of Ryou's head, making his lover lift his head to look at him. "We will talk to him and get this straightened out as soon as we get the chance to. Okay?"

"Okay." Ryou nodded a little, and Marik pecked his cheek.

"Are you going to be alright?" Marik asked with concern. "I know you and he used to be close."

"He never lets anyone got very close," Ryou murmured as he wiped his eyes on the cuff of his sleeve. "That's why I'm worried about him. I know that he's troubled, but…" His eyes started to water again, and Marik hugged him close once more.

"We _will_ figure this out somehow. I promise."

Ryou nodded as his thin arms encircled Marik's torso and hugged him just as tightly.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Yikes! My longest hiatus since I started writing on here. I am SO sorry! Enjoy some Angstshipping fluff/angst as part of my apology! It won't take that long for the next chapter to come, I promise. This chapter was dedicated to my dear friend BreakfastForLife. :3

And yes, Seto's victory was quite predictable, wasn't it? Well, this is _his_ story after all. Real plot-twists coming up, though, so stay tuned!

As always, please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters**_ and I don't post a new chapter until I get at least one review.


	36. S1: Bet

As Ryou released Marik and used his hand to brush away the final traces of his tears, they heard a new voice call out to them.

"Hey!"

Everyone but Yugi lifted their heads to look in the direction of the newcomer, who turned out to be Mai Kujaku.

"So I guess you guys qualified too," she said cheerfully, but a moment later realized that something was wrong. "What's going on here?"

"Yugi lost a duel to Seto and now he's not qualified for the finals anymore," Anzu answered, her hand on Yugi's shoulder as he continued to sit in his shell-shocked state. Ryou couldn't help but wonder if Yugi was trying to speak with Yami. Were they arguing? Were they trying to work through Yugi's fear? Was the pharaoh apologizing? Or was Yugi trying to force the pharaoh out of his soul forever?

"Then I suppose I arrived just in time." She strode over to Yugi and bent over a little as she held out her hand, which contained a half dozen star-chips. "I promised I'd pay you back, didn't I? Well, here they are. Don't worry, I've got enough for myself."

She winked and held up her dueling gauntlet, which was full, demonstrating that he could take the star-chips without preventing her from entering the finals. Yugi didn't react, though, and Mai frowned in frustration.

"What, my star-chips aren't good enough for you?" she demanded, looking quite miffed.

"Come on, Yugi," Anzu urged gently, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. "You won Mai's star-chips back for her so she could stay in the tournament, now she's just returning the favor. It's only fair."

Yugi remained unresponsive, increasing Mai's annoyance.

"Fine then, if you won't take my star-chips, you can sit here while the rest of us enter the finals." She withdrew the hand that held the star-chips and started to walk away.

"It's more complicated than that," Joey snapped. "Yugi doesn't want to duel ever again."

"What, because you lost _one_ lousy duel?" Mai turned around and crossed her arms, raising one eyebrow at the stricken teen. "Buck up, kid. So you lost one fight. Big deal. That's no reason to give up. If I'd given up when PaniK beat me, I wouldn't be standing here, now would I?"

"He's not giving up!" Anzu was quick to spring to Yugi's defense, metaphorically and physically. She now stood between Yugi and Mai. "You have no idea what he's going through!"

"Then explain it to me, because all I see is a sore loser who's not strong enough to get over himself."

"I won't let you stand there and mock him, Mai!" Anzu exclaimed, her emotions getting the better of her. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"I thought you said you didn't duel much," Mai scoffed, her sass increasing three-fold. "What makes you think you can suddenly beat me in a duel?"

"Because I'm dueling for my friend, unlike you! You're just dueling for yourself."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Mai just humoring Anzu now, taunting her into a small fury.

Anzu fumed as she glared at the other woman, suppressing the urge to audibly growl. "Because friendship is the most powerful force in the universe!"

"It's even stronger than Chuck Norris?" Joey asked facetiously, making Mai giggle.

"You shut up!" Anzu had already been annoyed with Joey, and his comment had only made things worse. "Will you duel me or not?"

"Fine," Mai sighed, sounding bored. "I saw a Duel Arena near the bottom of the stairs. We can duel there."

"Fine!" Anzu and Mai headed down the stairs towards the Duel Arena while Marik and Ryou approached Joey and Yugi.

"Why did you have to provoke her?" Ryou asked with a look of disapproval. "Was that really necessary?"

"Nobody blasphemes Chuck Norris and gets away with it!" Joey exclaimed as Ryou reached down and took Yugi's hands in his own to help him stand up.

"What's Chuck Norris?" Marik asked, looking confused as he tilted his head to the side.

"You don't know who Chuck Norris is?" Joey gasped and staggered theatrically in shock. "Ryou, have you taught him nothing about culture?"

" _I_ hardly know who Chuck Norris is," Ryou replied, a little bit annoyed. "Besides, we've had more important things to teach him."

"As soon as we get back to Domino, I'm going to educate you two about Chuck Norris. We can have a movie marathon. It'll be great!"

Marik still looked confused, but when he looked to Ryou for further explanation, the Brit just shrugged. Joey attempted to entertain them with stupid Chuck Norris jokes as the four of them descended the stairs they'd ascended so recently in order to watch the girls' duel. Ryou quickly realized that Joey was just doing his level best to shake Yugi out of his trance. While Anzu had tried sympathy and Mai had tried taunting, Joey was trying humor. Unfortunately, his efforts were not very effective.

Ryou couldn't really focus on the duel. Joey and Marik seemed sufficiently entertained by it, but Ryou was more focused on Yugi, watching him carefully for any sign of interest or expression. He kept his hands on the other's shoulders, afraid that he was so out of himself he might fall over due to sheer inattention. With Joey and Marik focused on the duel, Ryou was able to speak to Yugi without being heard.

"I know how you feel, Yugi," Ryou began quietly, watching his friend's face carefully. "It's hard watching yourself—or the spirit, rather—trying to hurt your friends. I felt the same way during the Monster World incident." Yugi blinked a few times, which was the biggest reaction they'd gotten from him so far. "You don't have any control over your own actions. It's scary. You don't want to hurt anyone, but you don't know how to stop it." He fell silent as he relived some of the panic and terror he'd felt on that day. "It's hard, but you have to keep going. If you don't try to move forward… You lose everything, and that's not the answer."

When Yugi reached up and placed his hand over Ryou's, it startled the taller boy, but it comforted him too. Yugi still wouldn't look at him, but that was okay. He was reacting again, and that was a start.

Mai ended up conceding the duel to Anzu, claiming that she didn't have the cards to win. Between Anzu's encouraging words during the duel and Ryou's understanding, Yugi finally returned to his normal self. He gratefully accepted the star-chips Mai had won for him, pocketing the extra one before they all headed back to the castle.

They were halfway up the stairs when Ryou's cell-phone rang. Surprised, he pulled it out of his pocket and checked who was calling.

"Oh, darn, I forgot to call her back," he muttered as Marik glanced at him. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. "Hi Mom!" he greeted cheerfully. "I'm sorry, I meant to call you back after this morning but…"

Ryou halted, and Marik stopped with him. After a few moments, so did everyone else, looking back to see what was wrong.

"I-I don't know," he said softly, his eyes flicking up to meet Marik's as the conversation continued. "Do the police have any idea where he is?"

"Ryou, what's going on?"

The white-haired teen seemed to be holding his breath as he looked up at Anzu and everyone else, listening carefully.

"Okay, I'll tell him. Update me as soon as you know something, alright?" A small pause. "Bye Mom." He hung up and put his phone away, looking around at everyone with regretful eyes.

"What happened?" Marik slipped his hand into Ryou's, hoping to transmit comfort to him with the pressure of his palm. It took Ryou a few moments to find the words he needed.

"Mokuba was abducted last night."

"Oh no!"

"That's awful!"

"Who?" Mai looked confused, so Joey decided to clarify for her.

"Seto's little brother."

"Oh."

"The police are trying to find him, but they don't know much of anything just yet. My mom was trying to call Seto, but she said his phone was off."

"We have to go tell him!" Yugi took off towards the castle entrance and everyone else followed suit, a guilty silence clinging heavily to the air between them.

After a brief debacle with the guard at the door, they all managed to enter the castle. It was a single hallway leading in one direction with no doors branching off, so they didn't have to stop and think about where they were going. At the end of the hall, behind double-doors, they found quite a surprise.

"Adina's soul too," Seto demanded as he faced Pegasus from across the Duel Arena.

"And why would you bother with the little sister of your greatest rival?" Pegasus questioned with a toss of his fabulous hair. "I don't see how she's any concern of yours."

"Because she's only in this mess because of me." His sense of guilty self-loathing was apparent in his eyes and the soft tremor in his voice.

"Seto!" Ryou called as he rushed forward to cling to the railing. "Mokuba's been—"

"Kidnapped. I know." Seto hardly spared a moment to glance at the new arrivals before fixing a glare of hatred upon his opponent. "And I know who has him, too."

"Come now, Seto, don't look at me like that," Pegasus crooned in his disturbingly melodic voice, a coy smile gracing his delicate features. "We're having a fun duel, aren't we?" He gestured towards the field between them, where the holographic projections indicated that they were, indeed, in the middle of a duel.

"Bastard." Seto slammed a closed fist against the console's surface to accent his fury. "You think betting people's lives is _fun_?"

"Perish the thought!" The Millennium Eye glittered behind his hair. "I think it's fun betting with people's _souls_!" While he cackled, Joey had an epiphany.

"Oh shit," he muttered, and for once, Anzu didn't elbow him in the ribs for it.

"What? What's going on, Joey?" Ryou didn't understand what was going on.

"Pegasus has Mokuba, doesn't he, Seto?" the blond called out, the others reacting in various expressions of shock and horror.

"Of course I do! How else could I persuade him to duel against his dear friend? I needed to see which one of you was better, and with both of you dueling for the soul of a loved one, I knew you would both duel your absolute best."

"Seto, is that true?" Yugi asked, pity entering his voice. Seto, disdaining the pity and overwhelmed with guilt, kept his eyes on Pegasus.

"Only if he can defeat me in a duel can he win his baby brother's soul back." Pegasus pulled a Duel Monsters card out from the inner pocket of his red suit jacket. The card's picture contained an image of Seto's terrified little brother. "Now he wants to raise the stakes."

"Yes. If I win, you have to set the others free too."

"Others?" Anzu looked scared. "How many souls does Pegasus _have_?"

"Quite a few, actually." He chuckled as he splayed the cards in his hand, revealing the soul cards for Adina Kaiba, Duke Devlin, and Yugi's grandpa as well. "Now tell me, Seto, why should I do such a thing?"

"Because you'll find it even more amusing."

"You should know by now that you don't stand a ghost of a chance against me." Pegasus smirked, but Seto didn't let it phase him.

"If you're so confident that you're going to win, then what do you have to lose?" The brunette lifted an eyebrow at the Duel Monsters creator, who paused to consider his point.

"Hmmm. Fair enough," he conceded. "Fine then: if you can manage to beat me in this duel, I'll let all four of them free. But, let's add a special twist: if I win, I take _your_ soul as my prize."

"Fine." Seto agreed without hesitation, and the duel continued. One turn after that, Seto had to abandon his hand, since Pegasus was able to read his mind with the Millennium Eye. Yugi tried to warn Seto, but Pegasus silenced him, claiming that any aid or advice would be counted as cheating—which would result in an automatic loss for their friend.

Seto dueled hard, but Marik knew that he had lost before he even began. The moment he'd rejected Seth and the Millennium Rod, he'd lost. Without the Rod, he was incapable of withstanding the power of Pegasus' Millennium Eye. They tried to explain the magical element of the duel to Mai, and while she seemed unconvinced, she was willing to go along with it.

All too soon, Seto's defeat became apparent to everyone, and Ryou was clinging to Marik again, incapable of watching his friend lose his very soul.

As he faced Pegasus' final attack, Seto felt strangely calm and cold.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba. I never meant to break my promise," he murmured, his words audible only to himself. "Forgive me. I did the best I could. It just wasn't good enough." The attack wiped out his life-points, and he could only stand there as ice-cold magic pierced his chest and enveloped him in darkness. The last sound he heard was the menacing echo of Pegasus' sadistic laughter.

"He was just tryin' ta save 'is little brother." Joey watched as a pair of Pegasus' goons took Seto's empty shell away.

"Seto's just like me," Yugi said as he smashed his fist against the railing, his eyes watering again. "He was just trying to save someone he cares about." He shuddered and rested his forehead beside his fist, empathetic tears streaming down his face even as Ryou did the same thing, only with Marik's shoulder.

"Geez, I've never seen so much male weeping at one time." Mai's scorn broke through the haze of horror that had fallen over them all. "If you really want to help your friend, you'll need to suck it up and get your head in the game."

"Mai's right." Joey glanced at her and nodded. "We're gonna have ta focus if we're gonna save Seto, Grandpa, and the others. Are you in, Ryou?"

"Yeah." Ryou wiped the tears from his eyes as he nodded and pulled away from Marik a little, symbolically standing on his own. "Seto tried handling this on his own, but we know that's not going to work. Even though we'll have to battle one another, we'll have to find a way to work together too."

"Ryou's right," Yugi agreed, straightening up as he turned to face the others with an encouraging smile. "By helping each other, we can free them all and defeat Pegasus!"

"Yeah!"

"Attention duelists: if you'll follow me, I can show you to your rooms. You will be summoned for dinner in a little over an hour."

They followed Croquette down a few halls to the guest rooms. There were enough that they each got their own. While Joey, Anzu, and Yugi met in one room to discuss what they knew about Pegasus' Millennium Eye, Mai went for a stroll around the castle. Ryou, emotionally and physically exhausted from the day, opted to just lie down for a little while. Marik was going to leave his own room and join the others to add what he knew to the conversation when he heard a voice.

"Marik."

The tanned teen looked up at the sound of his name being whispered into his ear, but he was still alone, as far as he could see.

"Who's there?"

"Marik, you know me." Seth's ghostly image shivered into sight, and thought it was faint, there was no mistaking those broad shoulders, that imperial posture, those stern sapphire eyes.

"My pharaoh," Marik murmured in wide-eyed reverence. He dropped to his knees and bent forward, bowing with his forehead to the floor to the king he'd sworn to serve.

"Marik, I need your help to right these wrongs and keep Pegasus in check during the remainder of the tournament. Before we can do anything, you must answer me this: is the Spirit of the Millennium Ring still around, or was he successfully banished after Monster World?"

"He's still here, my lord," Marik answered softly, still staring at the floor. "He's very much present, but I don't think Ryou himself even knows. I would have spoken sooner had I known, but he made threats that I couldn't work around."

"I suspected as much." Seth closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, looking determined. "You must keep this a secret between us. Do not let Ryou know what's happening, and unless I give you specific orders, do not let Ryou out of your sight."

"Yes, Pharaoh."

"Rise, my child," Seth said, his voice gentling. Marik obeyed, standing before the tall spirit and gazing at him fondly. "Now, we must find a way to get me back to Seto's body. Once we've accomplished that, I can begin to help. You must be prepared to use the Millennium Rod at a moment's notice, the instant I tell you to. Can you do that, without hesitation and without reservation?"

Marik reached behind him and extracted the Millennium Rod from its place, holding it in front of him as he gazed into its eye for a moment. He held it tightly by its shaft, and for the first time in his life, he could feel the power, the energy, the _magic_ it held. It flowed like a gushing river through his veins as, for the first time, he felt that he had access to all that magic.

"Yes, my pharaoh." Marik looked up at Seth, his jaw set firmly. He could wield the magic. He would do anything to serve his master.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** "Nothing can destroy friendship! It's the most powerful force in the universe! It's even stronger than Chuck Norris!" ~Tea Gardner, YGOTAS, Episode 15: Duel Of Fates

The next chapter will be posted once I have _**5 reviews**_ on this chapter, so please review! (And I'm _totally_ not doing that just to buy myself some time... ^-^')


	37. S1: Apology

**Author Notes** : I really liked the ending of this chapter, so I didn't want to spoil it by putting the note at the end. ;)

So I finally caved this chapter and left a few little subtle hints at what will happen in Season Two, because I'm really looking forward to that. Between S1 and S2, though, I'm going to post a separate, side-story that will better explain how Seto ended up in his awful situation in chapter 1, so I hope you all look forward to that.

I feel like it's been awhile since I quoted _Hamilton_ , and that makes me sad, but I did quote _Night At the Museum_ in this chapter. See if you can spot the quote!

 _ **Please review**_ and tell me how you like it so far! What was your favorite moment in this chapter? Tell me in your review!

* * *

At dinner, all of the finalists—Mai, Ryou, Joey, and Yugi—and their friends—Marik and Anzu—were present. Dinner could have been a more cheerful event, but as it was, some members of their group were still reeling from seeing Seto lose his soul to Pegasus. Marik's conversation with Seth had been brief, since speaking with the tomb-keeper was quite taxing on his limited resources. As the spirit had wished, Marik had told no one about their discussion or their plan.

At dinner, the matches were determined for tomorrow's duels: first, Yugi vs. Mai, then, Joey vs. Ryou.

Mai was looking forward to an honest, fair duel with Yugi, and she knew that she'd have to prepare her best deck yet if she was to beat him, especially since he'd seen her duel before. She spent a few hours after dinner laying out the cards of her deck and swapping some out with those in her side deck as she paired and tripled them in every strategic combination possible. Only once she was satisfied with her deck did she go to sleep, getting as much rest as she could so that she could be ready for her duel in the morning.

Yugi had faith in his grandfather's deck and went straight to bed, trying to sleep despite his concern for the souls at stake in tomorrow's duels. When he slept, he dreamed of his grandfather and the others whose souls had been stolen. Everyone called to him, begging to be saved. How could he save everyone, though, when he couldn't even trust the spirit who lived in the Millennium Puzzle? He was prepared to do anything to win against Seto, so he'd have to keep him in check and duel on his own.

Joey slept too, but more restlessly. He couldn't get over what had happened in front of the castle that day, how Seto had been willing to do anything to save his little brother, even risk his own life and his friendships. Any of them might have been terminated as a result of his actions. Joey himself was feeling awfully guilty for the things he'd said. He just hoped that he got a chance to apologize for the misunderstanding, that Seto wouldn't forever remember that as their last interaction as his soul wasted away in god-knows-where.

Marik snuck into Ryou's room that night to join him in bed, for three reasons. First, Marik didn't like sleeping alone. He never had. Second, Seth had instructed him to stay with Ryou at all times in order to keep the Spirit of the Ring in check. Third, he loved Ryou and simply didn't want to be away from him. He held Ryou as he slept, pleased to see him at peace when so many of his waking hours were fraught with fear.

Anzu slept as peacefully as she could. She was most concerned for the children. How could someone be so cruel as to kidnap and imprison young children, then steal their souls and use them as bargaining chips in a card-game? What did he even plan on _doing_ with them?

* * *

"Let the duel begin!" Croquette exclaimed as Mai and Yugi faced off across the Duel Arena. Yugi struggled during the first few turns. Anzu, Ryou, Joey, and Marik cheered him on, trying to encourage him, but he was still struggling.

"I forgot something back in our room," Marik said suddenly. He gave Ryou's hand a squeeze before releasing it. "I'll be right back."

"Okay. Try to be back by the end of the duel." Ryou was nervous for his duel; he couldn't help it. The only duels he'd ever _seen_ Joey fight were against Seto and Yugi, and those hadn't been excellently executed, but if Joey had qualified for the semi-finals, then he _must_ have gotten much better.

"I will," Marik promised with a smile, then turned and left, going back to his room to fetch the Millennium Rod. He'd left it behind on purpose, but it was perfectly safe in its hiding place. Once out of sight, he jogged the rest of the way. He knelt and pulled the Rod out from under the bed and felt its power run through him as he gripped its shaft. "Off to find Seto."

Sneaking around wasn't Marik's strong suit, but since he was alone, there wasn't anyone to talk to, and he thought that talking would be the only way to get caught. He was wrong. He had to hide behind various drapes and suits of armor at least three times as guards walked past him, and each time, his breathing alone almost gave him away.

Seth was in the back of his mind the whole time, speaking as little as possible in order to preserve his limited energy resources. Marik had no need to use the Rod until he was checking behind the large portrait of a woman with and a pair of guards walked in on him. Marik froze, terrified, but Seth's voice in his mind urged him on.

 _Now, Marik! Use it now!_

"In the name of the pharaoh!" he cried as he thrust the Rod towards the two guards, and they froze. The Eye of Ra appeared on their foreheads in glowing yellow, and a blank look overcame their expressions. It made Marik feel... powerful. "Take me to Seto, now," he ordered, and experienced a strange delight when they began to obey him. He followed them, keeping his eyes open for anyone else. They stopped in front of an unassuming door, and Marik stepped up to open it. It was locked.

"Unlock it."

"We don't have the keys," one of them answered in a monotone voice.

"Then _get_ them!" he snapped irritably.

 _Patience, Marik,_ Seth cautioned, his voice firm, but the sound of it faint. Faint enough that it was easy to ignore.

"Nevermind, don't get them." He'd changed his mind. "You, go away. Remember none of this." He gestured to one of them with the Rod, and the man began to walk away. "You, take me to where I can get the keys." He followed the brainwashed guard to their destination, but he'd needed to activate a few trap-cards along the way to incapacitate the other grunts they encountered. He wasn't sure how long the bonds would hold, though, so he tried to move quickly.

* * *

"Marik's been gone an awful long time," Ryou commented nervously, his hands gripping the railing of the observation area a little too tightly. "Do you think I should go and find him?"

"No way, man. You gotta stay put for our duel," Joey answered, shaking his head. He placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder and tried to comfort him by saying, "Don't worry about 'im. He'll be back in no time, don't you worry!"

Ryou swallowed and nodded, but still felt anxious. Joey's words hadn't reassured him, but he was grateful that he'd made the effort.

* * *

 _Let them go, Marik,_ Seth ordered sternly. S _end them away and free their minds._

Marik was struggling to listen, though, as he stood again in front of the locked door. He knew that he _should_ make the guards go away and release his influence over them, but he didn't feel safe doing so. What if they were still caught? What if _his_ soul was stolen too?

 _Trust me._

The Egyptian bit his lip and breathed deeply for a moment. His hand shook as he finally overcame his own inclinations and obeyed his pharaoh. Seth said no more, but he didn't need to. As the guards quickly spread themselves to the farthest corners of the castle, Marik shakily unlocked the door with the pilfered keys.

He recognized Seto's body on the bed, but he didn't know who lay beside him with his hands cuffed to the foot of the bed. Seto was unbound, however, and Marik rushed forward to place the Millennium Rod in the brunette's limp hand.

* * *

Cold. All Seto could feel was the frigid darkness in which his soul was imprisoned. Whatever kept him here also kept him paralyzed.

There was no air here, no sound, no light. Just a crushing, savage, hateful darkness that asphyxiated him without giving him the peace of unconsciousness or the ability to escape in death.

He tried to scream for help, but no sound came out, and nobody would have heard him anyways.

Then something changed.

The absolutely freezing darkness softened into a forgiving, warm grey. Still no air, no sound, no true light, but he could feel someone else there. He couldn't touch his mind or tap his heart, but he knew Seth was there. If he could have spoken, he would have screamed for help, begged for freedom.

All he could do was reassure himself with the fact that Seth had not forsaken him.

* * *

Seth's eyes opened as he found himself embodied once more. He delved into his mind to find Seto, but his memories, emotions, and knowledge were all locked away with his soul. There was just enough of Seto's soul left in his body that would keep it alive, but just barely. It had no consciousness as far as Seth could tell.

 _I_ will _save you, Seto. And Mokuba and all the others. I swear._

He stood and stretched to ease the stiffness from his arms, and noticed after a moment that Marik had fallen to his knees before him, bowing with his face to the floor as he'd done the night before.

"I am so sorry," the lavender-eyed teen murmured. "I shouldn't have gotten carried away like that. I should have obeyed you without hesitation. I should have—"

"Marik, I knew it would happen." Seth knelt on one knee before the other teen who lifted his eyes to the brunette in surprise. "People who use the Millennium Items without truly owning them lose themselves to the power sooner or later. Even good people like you." His tone was understanding and his eyes were kind, endearing Marik to him and easing his sense of guilt. "You withstood the influence longer than most people could. You did your best, and I couldn't have asked for more than that." He stood and extended his arm downwards, saying, "Take the hand, son."

Marik relaxed and clasped Seth's hand, rising from the floor with his help. The instant he was standing, though, Seth released his hand and bowed at the waist to the tomb-keeper, who was promptly shocked by the honor.

"If anyone should be apologizing, it is I," Seth said reverently as he stared at the floor. "Your ancestors, your family, your siblings, and you were never meant to suffer as you have done. The interpretations of our instructions changed over time in ways that we could not foresee. Nevertheless, I and the others are to blame for it."

He straightened up and was a bit dismayed when he saw Marik's eyes tearing up. He hadn't meant to upset him.

"I'm sorry, Marik," he repeated as he pulled the other teen into an embrace.

They held each other tightly, two Egyptians commiserating over the suffering of their people. Seth knew it all much better than Marik, though: he'd watched generation after generation of Marik's ancestors live and die in endless cycles for the past three thousand years. He knew it all better than anyone alive. It had been necessary, in a way, but that didn't make it any less awful.

"You and your siblings did not deserve what was done to you," Seth whispered. "None of that was sanctioned. Especially..." His voice broke, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Especially what was done to your sister."

Marik nodded silently and closed his eyes as he let his emotions settle once more. If he was to be helpful, he needed to be calm. "I can't wait to see them again," he whispered with a faint smile.

"I am sure you'll see them again soon." Seth gave Marik a final squeeze before they released each other. "Ryou's father is a good man. You can trust him to bring them home as quickly as possible."

Marik nodded again and, smiling, agreed, "Yes, he is. A good man and a good father."

With that matter now settled between them, Seth turned and looked down at Duke with regret. "I wish that I could at least free him for now, but I don't know how to pick a lock. Seto does, but..." He gently brushed a lock of dark hair off of Duke's face, let his hand drop from the pale skin, sighed, and shrugged. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him until his soul is released."

"Then we should rejoin the others. Ryou's duel should be starting soon."

Marik was right, and Seth knew it, but as he stepped away from the bed where Duke was restrained, a mirror on the opposite wall caught his eye. Out of vain curiosity, he walked over to it, Marik following him like a loyal hound. He carefully studied his own features—Seto's features, really—trying to see just how different he was from his life in Egypt. Something looked wrong, though, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Only when he looked at Marik's reflection did he realize what was bothering him.

"Marik, may I borrow your kohl?"

"Of course," Marik answered promptly, reaching into his pocket and handing the pharaoh his eyeliner.


	38. S1: Interference

**A/N** : In case there was any confusion, I am not, for the most part, making a distinction in narration between Yami and Yugi. Since they're not the protagonists and the precise nature of their relationship is complicated, especially when they're dueling, I'll leave that up to your imagination and let you see them the same way their friends see them.

* * *

"Do you miss Seto?" Marik asked the pharaoh as they returned to the Duel Arena.

"Very much," Seth answered softly, his voice warm as he placed a hand on his chest. He chuckled a little and said, "He says the funniest things. He once told me not to stick my finger inside the toaster."

Marik's face lit up and he exclaimed, "Ryou told me the same thing!" They laughed together at a joke that only they could understand.

"We can't tell anyone else that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring is still present," Marik said suddenly. "Seto will know, of course, but we can't tell the others. Bakura said he'd hurt Ryou if anybody else found out."

"Bakura? Is that his name?" Seth asked curiously. Bakura, the Millennium Ring... it stirred a long-distant piece of memory.

"It's what he told me to call him." Marik watched Seth's expression as his eyebrows drew together and his forehead creased. "Does that mean something to you?"

"Perhaps... My memory isn't as clear as I would like it to be." Seth sighed and shook his head. "Three thousand years will do that to you."

"How much _do_ you remember?" Marik couldn't help that he was intrigued.

"I remember my wife, and my cousin, and my first love." He sighed wistfully at the memory, even though his eyes filled with remembered pain. "I remember my firstborn son, but I can't recall the name of my youngest daughter. I remember going to war with Persia, but I don't know how many battles were fought or how the war was started." He shrugged, and concluded, "That's just the way things go, I suppose. Everything I know is in my memory somewhere, and if I think hard enough, I'm sure I can find it."

* * *

"I surrender, Yugi," Mai said, her hand placed over deck as she accepted defeat as graciously as she could. "I don't want to see my harpies destroyed , and I just don't have the cards in my hand to win." Their eyes met across the Duel Arena and Yugi nodded respectfully.

"Mai Kujaku has surrendered. Yugi Moto is the winner!" Croquette announced as both duelists put their decks back together and stepped down from the Arena.

"Thank you for the duel, Mai," Yugi said as he approached her with his right hand extended. "You fought well." She shook his hand and smiled, looking pleased despite her loss.

"As did you, Yugi. I count on our having a rematch some day, though," she teased with a wink.

"I look forward to it," he replied warmly. As the two duelists exited the arena area amiably, Yugi ignored Pegasus' gaze fixed persistently on him. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking nervous before his adversary.

"The duel between Ryou Bakura and Joey Wheeler shall commence!" Croquette continued as Joey congratulated Yugi on his victory and Anzu tried to reassure Ryou that Marik would surely be back any second now. "Duelists, please take your places in the arena!"

"I guess that's it for me, boys," Mai said as she began to walk away from the group. "I'll see you on the outside!"

"Wait, Mai, aren't you going to watch our duel?" Joey asked, making her stop and turn. She had been about to say no, but he looked so much like an eager puppy that she changed her mind.

"I suppose I might as well see the tournament through to the end," she said casually, going back to their little group and leaning against the railing next to Anzu. "Good luck, Joey."

The blond teen was pleased by Mai's change of mind, and Mai had to admit that she was glad he was pleased. He was a good kid, and while he'd seemed goofy to her when they'd met, he'd proven last night that he was much deeper than that. She even suspected that he had a serious side hidden under all that blustering optimism.

"Where do you think Marik is?" Anzu asked Yugi quietly as Ryou and Joey left the observation deck to do as Croquette had ordered.

"I don't know." Yugi looked just as worried as she was. "Should we go looking for him? He might have gotten lost. The castle is pretty big, after all."

"If he's lost, he could just ask a guard for directions," Anzu pointed out.

"Was Marik the exotic one?" Mai asked suddenly, interrupting their whispered discussion as Ryou and Joey shuffled each other's decks.

"Yes, he's from Egypt," Yugi answered, turning to face the older woman.

"And since he's gone AWOL, you're trying to decide whether to stay and watch your friends, or go find him." She pushed away from the railing. "I'll look for him if you like."

"But Joey wants you here too!" Yugi protested, making Mai blush a little.

"Alright, well, if they're not back in the next few turns, I'll go find them," Mai conceded, resting her elbows on the railing and her chin in her hands.

"Let the duel begin!" Croquette shouted as Pegasus watched coolly. He knew that Ryou had the Millennium Ring, and duelists with Millennium Items were universally superior duelists, so he thought he already knew who was going to win. He'd felt the same way watching Yugi and Mai duel, except that Yugi had been at odds with the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, and his victory was assured only once his inner conflict was resolved.

Joey went first, laying a monster card face-down and placing a magic card face-down.

"I'll go easy on ya for now," the blond said in his overconfident way as he ended his turn.

When Ryou drew from his deck and looked at the cards in his hand, he froze in temporary panic. He couldn't read any of them. He could see the picture and the background color of the card, but all text was nonsense to him. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, reminding himself that he knew his deck inside and out, and that he shouldn't have any problem participating in the duel. What worried him, though, was his sudden, inexplicable inability to read.

"I place two cards face-down and summon Headless Knight, in attack mode." He placed the cards in their appropriate places on the card-reader. He would never tire of the abilities of the holographic technology that the Duel Arena possessed; it was strange to think that his own friend had been responsible for its programming. "I hope it doesn't scare you _too_ much, Joey," he taunted, pretending to be as calm and confident as he'd been when he dueled Bonz in the caves. "I know how much you hate ghosts. Headless Knight, attack his face-down card!"

"I ain't scared o' your zombie soldier! At least, my Alligator's Sword isn't!" Joey's monster revealed itself, countering the Headless Knight's attack and causing Ryou a fifty life-point loss. Ryou frowned at the loss; he hadn't counted on Joey's card being stronger than his.

"That was a nice try, but you're gonna have ta do better than that!" Joey drew a card and said, "I activate Reinforcement of the Army, allowing me to select a four-star Warrior-type monster from my deck and add it to my hand." Joey skimmed through his deck, chose a card, then shuffled his deck and replaced it. "Now, I summon..." He wiggled his fingers over the splay of cards in his hand as he thought for a moment, then selected one and threw it down. "Baby Dragon, and I fuse it with my Alligator's Sword to create Alligator's Sword Dragon!" His monsters fused, the armed alligator mounting the infant dragon and increasing both their attack points. " _And_ , I equip it with Legendary Sword, boosting its attack and defense points by three hundred each. Go, attack his Headless Knight!"

That was another five hundred and fifty out of Ryou's life-points, knocking him down to fourteen-hundred life-points. Ryou could hardly believe what was happening. How had he been so unprepared for that kind of attack? Then he remembered: Spiritualism was one of his face-down cards. He could have negated Joey's use of Legendary Sword, but he hadn't. How had he forgotten that? He'd _just_ placed the card on the field. He gritted his teeth in frustration, glaring down at the cards in his hand. He was better than this. Wasn't he?

He glanced briefly at the balcony, long enough to see that Marik still wasn't there, which was a shame, because he really could have used the support right now.

* * *

"Seto?!" Yugi stared in shock as the tall brunette strode towards them with Marik at his side and the Millennium Rod in his hand. Anzu and Mai turned around in time to see him shaking his head.

"Not Seto, Seth."

To Anzu and Yugi, this comment made perfect sense. Mai was utterly confused by it, so Yugi began to expound upon his explanation of the Millennium Items from earlier. They were magical artifacts from Egypt, and at least three of them—the Puzzle, the Ring, and the Rod—also housed ancient spirits. Seth was the Spirit of the Rod.

While Yugi did that, though, Marik ran right to the railing and waved to Ryou, calling his lover's name. Mentally, though, he was kicking himself in the ass for missing the beginning of the duel. He couldn't blame Ryou for looking disappointed, and even a bit angry, when he looked back at them, but he'd hoped that Seth's presence would ameliorate Ryou's displeasure.

"This isn't right," Marik murmured as he dropped his arm and frowned at the scores. "Ryou's better than this. How many turns in are they?"

"Three, and Ryou's barely made a dent in Joey's life-points," Mai answered, shaking her head sadly. "His head's just not in the game."

Marik found the duel to be painful to watch. Ryou was completely off his game, both strategically and psychologically. He'd lay magic cards face-down, then never activate them. He'd look at his cards in confusion as if he'd never seen them before. He'd declare an attack only to attack the wrong monster and get his own destroyed. Even Joey could see that something was up.

"Alright, time out," Joey said at the start of his fifth turn, laying down his hand and Ryou following suit. "You ain't dueling your best, and beating you when you're dueling like this wouldn't mean all that much. What's wrong, pal?"

"I don't know," Ryou answered softly, his gaze downcast as he felt his ears burn red with shame. At least nobody could see his ears under his hair.

"What's that? I can't hear ya."

"I don't know," Ryou flashed back, sounding louder and sharper than he'd intended. He looked down at the floor again and added, "Don't go easy on me, though."

"Alright." Joey was reluctant to resume. "Just try to have fun, okay?" He grinned at his opponent, and Ryou seemed to relax a little as they resumed their duel.

Ryou could feel the Millennium Eye trained on him as they continued, reading his mind. It just made things harder for him by making him anxious. As Ryou ended his next turn, he glanced up at Pegasus, making eye contact with the creator of Duel Monsters. The instant he did so, he _felt_ the foreign presence pushing into his mind. He felt Pegasus there just as much as he felt the Spirit of the Millennium Ring surge suddenly to block Pegasus from reading his mind. Pegasus turned away and Ryou looked up at Joey, who had just finished saying something as he drew his card. The wordless exchange between Ryou and Pegasus had lasted for a split second, but it troubled the teen further. The spirit... he was still with them.

By the end of Joey's turn, it was abundantly clear that Ryou had lost the duel. It didn't make any sense for him to keep fighting when he knew that he couldn't do anything. Surrendering when the outcome was certain was a gracious way to concede the duel; it was also just a way to give up. Ryou was doing both.

He lay his hand on his deck before anybody could realize what he was going to do, not wanting someone to try to talk him out of it. He could hear the others' gasps as Marik cried out in dismay.

"Ryou, what are you doing?"

"Ryou Bakura has surrendered. Joey Wheeler has won the duel!" Croquette announced, arm raised, as the white-haired teen quickly gathered together his cards so that he could escape as soon as possible. Once all his cards were in his hands, he turned and disappeared down the hallway behind him, taking a turn onto the stairs that would lead him up to the balcony, but stopping a little less than half-way up.

He held his deck tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the strength of his grip. Overcome with frustration, he suddenly turned around and kicked the wall, grunting as he did so. He wasn't experienced at kicking things, however, and he lost his balance, falling backwards and landing on the edge of the step as the cards of his deck slipped out from between the top and bottom cards, the ones his fingers were actually touching. His deck was spread out on the stairs around him, and after his terrible loss at a game that he knew better than his opponent did, it was the last straw.

He straightened out a little so that he could sit properly on the step and dropped his head into his hands, fighting hard not to cry.

"Are you okay?" Marik called from above and behind him, but Ryou didn't want to answer.

He didn't want to talk at all.

"Hey, look at me."

Marik gently removed Ryou's hands from his face and replaced them with his own, tipping his face upwards so that Marik could look him in the eye, but Ryou pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't here for the start of your duel. I really thought I'd be back by then." Marik's apology was so sweet and sincere as he patiently cupped Ryou's cheeks in his hands again and made him meet Marik's gaze. Ryou didn't pull away this time, so now he noticed that Marik looked truly regretful. "I'm _really_ sorry. I needed to find Seto's body and give him the Millennium Rod back so that Seth could help us. It just took longer than we anticipated and—Oh, darling, please don't cry."

Ryou lifted a hand and wiped his eyes on the cuff of his sweater as Marik kissed his forehead.

"I'm better than that," Ryou whispered at last, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm a _much_ better duelist than that!" His voice rose as he grew even more upset, and Marik hushed him, stroking his hair comfortingly. "I don't know what happened, I just... Maybe I was just anxious about my first high-level tournament duel, but I don't think that was it. I've been anxious before, like when I have to give a speech at school, but this wasn't like that. I couldn't even read my cards!"

"What do you mean, you couldn't read them?" Marik looked puzzled by this claim, but at least he didn't look dismissive.

"I-I just couldn't! I don't _know_ why, but suddenly, every word I looked at was nonsense! A-And I couldn't remember the cards I lay face-down. One second it'd be in my hand, and I'd put it down and I suddenly have no idea what it is! I just don't know what happened to me..."

"It's okay, love," Marik murmured, cradling Ryou against him as he tried to calm him down. "It's okay."

Ryou's arms reached up around him in an embrace, linking his trembling hands together as they rested against Marik's back.

"That duel made me look awful," Ryou whispered, pressing into his lover's warmth as he tried calm himself. "I must have looked like an idiot up there."

"Don't say that about yourself," Marik reprimanded sharply, pulling away so that he could look into Ryou's troubled eyes. "You're not an idiot, and nobody thinks that."

"How do _you_ know?" Ryou muttered sourly, too fixed in his belief of how the others had perceived him to readily accept Marik's correction. Logic couldn't sway him right now, and even though Marik didn't consciously recognize that, he still did the best possible thing he could have done then.

He leaned forward and stole a kiss, sliding their lips together with the ease of an experienced kiss-thief. Ryou relaxed against him as Marik lifted one knee to rest it on the step just below the one Ryou sat on. His arm slipped around Ryou's waist, supporting him as their tender kisses persisted. Marik was no longer thinking about _why_ they were kissing; in fact, he wasn't thinking at all. What tore his lips away from Ryou's was the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Marik looked up to see Seth smiling bemusedly down at them from just a few steps up. The pair of boys blushed at the sudden audience.

"Be glad that it was me who came to check on you, and not one of the others. They'd never let you live it down."

He stepped closer and crouched down to begin gathering together the cards that had slipped from Ryou's hands, prompting Ryou and Marik to suddenly begin doing the same. Ryou accepted a stack of cards from Marik first, and then from Seth, but as Seth was placing the cards in his hand, he pulled them back.

"You're a good duelist, Ryou. Don't let one bad match discourage you. Understand?" His eyes were serious, and his tone was firm, and the inflections of his voice were different enough from Seto's that Ryou could actually believe it wasn't his friend. His expressions were an awful lot like Seto's, though, and not just because they shared a face.

"Understood," Ryou replied, and Seth handed him the rest of his cards. They all stood, Seth's regal posture seeming to set him apart from the casual teenagers beside him.

"Atta boy," Seth said with approval, patting Ryou on the shoulder. "Sometimes we lose in life, but the trick, my child, is to learn from each loss and move forward." Ryou gave Seth a small smile of appreciation, but Marik interrupted their moment.

"I thought _I_ was your child," Marik protested indignantly, adopting a small pout.

Seth chuckled and put an arm around each of them, pulling them close to his sides as he said, "You're _all_ children to me!"

Marik hugged Seth in return, quite pleased with the gesture. He'd received little physical affection when he still lived in Egypt, but once he'd had a taste of it, he realized that he'd been yearning for it his whole life. As such, he was eager to hug or be hugged in any circumstance. Ryou hugged Seth in return as well, but found himself thinking how _un_ like Seto such a gesture was.


	39. S1: Dungeon

"Hey, what happened down there, Ryou?" Joey asked as the three teens—that is, the two teens and the pharaoh in a teen's body—came back into view.

"I think I just let the pressure get to me," Ryou admitted with downcast eyes, but Joey was quick to slap him on the back and say something encouraging as Mai watched them with amusement.

Marik glanced up at Seth with a questioning look, and Seth inclined his head ever so slightly. It wasn't just the pressure of his first major tournament duel that had messed with Ryou's mind; it had been the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. Seth hadn't been able to confirm that it was the spirit or not until he'd heard Ryou's description of events. The spirit, Bakura, was slippery and subtle, making him difficult to pin down. He was most dangerous indeed.

"Now the duel between the finalists, Joey Wheeler and Yugi Moto, shall commence!" Croquette announced, eliciting a groan from the lanky blond he'd named.

"Aw, come on! Don't we even get a lunch break?" Joey asked.

"It's not even lunch time, Joey," Yugi pointed with a small smile, amazed by his friend's capacity to consume food indefinitely.

"I'm still hungry," Joey grumbled, but Mai poking him in the side redirected his focus.

"Good luck out there. Give it your best shot, Joey." There was something sensual in her eyes, something sultry in her voice, and it was enough to make Joey blush and stammer his thanks.

"Can the duelists please enter the Duel Arena!" Croquette called, urging them on.

"I guess this is it," Joey said, looking to Yugi again and holding out his hand. "Don't go easy on me, alright?"

"I won't, Joey. We'll both duel our best so that the strongest of us can challenge Pegasus to win those souls back."

Everyone in their little group could feel the weight their mission, and Yugi couldn't help but glance up at Seth. The tall brunette turned his solemn sapphire eyes towards the shorter teen's violet ones and nodded in agreement. Seto, Duke, Mokuba, Adina, and Mr. Moto... they all needed to be freed. Now.

Yugi and Joey started their duel and Seth turned to Marik, who was comforting Ryou with a warm embrace.

"I'm going to retrieve the children from Pegasus' dungeon. I don't want them waking up there when their souls are released."

" _Will_ their souls be released?" Mai asked dubiously, still unsure how much of this she believed.

"I have faith," Seth answered simply.

"Wait, Pegasus is keeping Mokuba and Adina in a _dungeon_?" Anzu asked in disgusted disbelief. "What a monster!" She threw a glare at him from across the room, then turned back to Seth. "You'll need help to carry them both, so I'll go with you. You three need to cheer them on while I'm gone!" That last sentence was directed at Mai, Marik, and Ryou, who nodded in understanding.

"Thank you," Seth replied, a bit surprised by the offer, but grateful for it nonetheless. "Let's go."

* * *

"How are the brats doing?" one guard asked as he relieved the other of his duty.

"Still brain-dead," the other answered as he stood from his chair. "I don't really see the point in guarding them when they're like this."

"I guess that just makes this the easiest job in the world, right?"

"Wrong." Seth stepped out from the shadows, his Millennium Rod pointed at both of them, casting them under a hypnotic spell. Stepping closer, he demanded, "Hand me the keys."

The guard handed Seth the heavy key ring from his pocket, and Seth moved towards the cell door with the keys to figure out which one fit in the keyhole.

"What did you _do_ to them?" Anzu asked as she stepped out from the tunnel and stared at the guards in shock.

"I've merely… persuaded them to help us. Magically, of course," Seth answered as he fumbled with the keys. They clanked eerily in the otherwise silent room, the sound bouncing off the stone walls with a slight echo. Anzu, creeped out by the whole place, stood closer to Seth. She shivered and crossed her arms in an attempt to keep herself warm.

"Are you cold? You can borrow my coat," Seth offered, surprising her with his chivalry.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine." Anzu turned to look away from the blank-faced guards to look at the blank-faced children. "Oh, they look so sad." Her forehead creased with concern. "Are they really going to be alright?"

"They will be, as soon as their souls are released," Seth assured. He found the right key and heard the mechanism click within the lock. "Got it." The cell door swung open, and Seth let Anzu enter it first before following and kneeling beside Adina first to free her. There was only one key small enough to fit these locks, so it only took a minute for Seth to free her from the manacles and let Anzu pick her up.

"The poor dear!" Anzu exlaimed as she noticed the skin of Adina's wrists where the manacles had rubbed them raw and bloody. "How could Pegasus do this to _children_?"

Seth opened his mouth to answer, but a transmission coming through on the guards' radio transceiver interrupted him.

"We received a signal that the cell door has been opened. Is there a problem?"

Seth pointed the Millennium Rod at the guards again and spoke, his words repeated by the guard he'd chosen to answer the radio call.

"Everything is fine. There must be something wrong with the signal. I'll check it. The children are still here."

"Alright. Update us soon."

"It's kinda creepy that you can do that," Anzu said with a shudder, holding Adina more tightly in her arms.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm on your side," he answered with a smug grin before he resumed freeing Mokuba. Mokuba's wrists were in the same state as Adina's, much to Anzu's dismay.

"Maybe we can find a first aid kit on our way back," Anzu suggested, Seth nodding in approval.

"That's a good plan. We should be able to get them back without any trouble, so long as we don't get lost." Seth lifted Mokuba in his arms after pocketing the keys and hooking the Millennium Rod into his belt, then led the way out of the dungeon. Anzu stopped at the doorway, looking back at the guards.

"What about them?"

"They'll snap out of it soon enough on their own," he answered nonchalantly. After nodding hesitantly, she followed him out.

* * *

"Congratulations to Yugi Moto, the champion of the Duelist Kingdom tournament!"

"That was a great duel, Yug," Joey said with a sad smile.

"Indeed it was, Joey. You fought well." The two friends shook hands as Croquette approached Yugi.

"Yugi Moto, as champion you may choose either one of two prizes: three million dollars or the opportunity to challenge Maximillion Pegasus to a duel."

"I'll challenge Pegasus to a duel," Yugi answered without hesitation.

"Very well, then, Yugi-Boy," Pegasus crooned from his throne. "The duel shall commence after lunch."

"Boo-yah!" Joey exclaimed, excited at the prospect of food, even if it did come from such a vile man as this.

As they walked towards the dining room, Anzu and Seth rejoined them, Anzu carrying Adina in her arms, and Seth carrying Mokuba on his back, a first aid kit in one hand.

"Oh good, you found them!" Ryou cried, letting the children's corporeal freedom cheer him a bit. His spirits were still a bit low after his duel with Joey.

"You should have _seen_ the place where they were locked up!" Anzu was filled with righteous indignation, and she had a look in her eyes that said "I'd kick him in the balls if I ever had the chance."

"Can you please look after them?" Seth asked as he set Mokuba down on the floor beside the wall, and Anzu readily complied, setting down Adina as well and opening the first aid kit.

"What happened to them?" Yugi looked shocked; he'd already known that their souls were stolen, but why did they need a first aid kit?

"Pegasus happened to them," Seth answered as he stood. His eyes looked above and past Yugi as someone else entered the hallway. When the former pharaoh crossed his arms, the others turned around to see Pegasus behind them, looking surprised to see Seto standing again.

"Isn't this a delicious surprise," Pegasus intoned, trying and failing to keep the shock out of his voice. Seth stepped forward, positioning himself directly between Yugi and Pegasus.

"For a man who's used to getting what he wants, I suppose it must be," Seth retorted coolly. Pegasus was studying Seth with one narrowed eye and one glowing eye, his features contorting into a sneer of frustration as he peered into Seth's mind. At least, he looked into the part of his mind that Seth showed him: violence, war, blood, gore. Seth filled his mind with these things so that they created a cacophonous din that prevented the creator of Duel Monsters from seeing anything else. All Pegasus could know from invading Seth's mind was that he was an ancient soul too, just like the spirits inside the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Ring. He wasn't Seto, but someone else. Pegasus withdrew from Seth's mind, recovering his mask of serene superiority.

"It doesn't matter if you have their bodies back," he scoffed with a toss of his hair. "Because you're never going to win back their souls." With that, he strutted down the hallway, turning his back on them all.

"Hey, you wanna say that to my face, you big coward!" Joey yelled after him, shaking his fist in anger.

"Calm down, Joey," Yugi urged, grabbing hold of the back of Joey's shirt to keep him from running off to tackle Pegasus to the ground, which was what Yugi feared he _would_ do if Yugi didn't hold him back. "Getting mad isn't going to help anybody."

"Then can I bash his head in _after_ you beat him in a duel?" Joey asked, looking down at his shorter friend with the hope that he would endorse the blond's request.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Seth replied calmly, looking less tense now that Pegasus was out of sight. "There's a reason that he's collecting souls. I don't know what that reason is, but there has to be one."

"Why does there have to be a reason?" Ryou asked as he held Mokuba's arm steady for Anzu while she secured gauze around his wrist with medical tape. He looked up at Seth with a vaguely sad confusion.

"Because nobody does something so drastic and purposeful without a reason for it," Seth answered gravely. "And if those souls are necessary for whatever he's planning, then losing them will frustrate anything he was scheming, rendering a physical beating unnecessary."

"How did they get hurt?" Marik asked awkwardly, his concern more than apparent.

"They were chained to a wall in the dungeon." Anzu looked absolutely furious at this. "Anyone who chains children up in a dungeon _deserves_ to get beaten up."

"This is neither the time nor the place for violence," Seth cautioned. "Seto had quite the same sentiment when he found them, though."

"How did he know that Mokuba was taken?" Ryou looked more curious now. "My mom was trying to call him to tell him, but it kept going straight to voicemail."

"How did your mom know about it?" Mai asked, interjecting so that she could understand precisely how these teenagers were connected to one another.

"Mokuba was staying with my family during the tournament," Ryou explained, purposefully leaving out _why_ Mokuba didn't stay at his own home. It wasn't his right to share anything about Seto's private matters. His answer seemed to sufficiently satisfy Mai, so he looked back to Seth and asked again, "How did Seto know?"

Seth pulled Adina's paper airplane, now folded squarely, out of his pocket and unfolded so that the others could see the letter.

"He found this out in the woods. Pegasus must have told her his plan, so she tried to warn us."

"Good for her. The kid's got guts," Mai commented in praise, and the others murmured their consent.

Seth pocketed the note and looked back at Anzu, who was packing up the first aid kit.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm still hungry," Joey said, bluntly hinting that they should continue on their way to lunch.

"I'll take the kids to my room for now, then," Seth said, picking Mokuba up again. "I'll meet you there."

"I'll help you," Mai volunteered suddenly, surprising the others. "You can't carry them both at once, after all." She lifted Adina into her own arms, and while she didn't seem like she was used to handling children, she was competent enough.

When the others were out of earshot, Mai broke the silence.

"So, you're Seth, and Seto is someone else?" she asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Yes."

"Right." She paused for a moment to think, and Seth waited patiently, sensing that she was trying to figure out what she really wanted to ask him.

"So which of you did I kiss, and which one kissed me?"

Her question didn't faze Seth in the least.

"You kissed Seto, and I kissed you."

"Uhuh." She was still eyeing him strangely, and Seth could guess that he'd never have to resist her temptations again.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Please review!


	40. S1: Musuko

**Author Notes:** Let's play a little game: who can come up with the most reasons for why they hate Maximillian Pegasus? _**Please review if you want to see the next chapter!**_

* * *

"Croquette."

"Yes, Master Pegasus?" The head of security was at his employer's side in an instant. The competitors and their guests were feasting in the dining room, but Pegasus had gone to a room beyond them.

"Get me those children's bodies back."

"Yes sir."

"And Croquette, have them taken to the tunnels."

"Yes, Master Pegasus." Croquette bowed and left to follow his orders.

 _Even if I lose their souls, I can still use them in a blood sacrifice_ , Pegasus contemplated coolly. _The power will be temporary, though. I'll need to use it fast, which means, win or lose, I'll have to leave as soon as my duel with Yugi-Boy is over. Otherwise they may try to claim the bodies before I have a chance to use them._

* * *

"Is he really _that_ smart?" Mai asked incredulously as she and Seth walked together towards their guest rooms.

"He's a genius," Seth answered. "I've never met anyone smarter than him."

"If he's already graduated high school, he must be at least half as smart as you say he is." Mai thought it touching how enamored Seth was with his host. It was the most fitting word she could think of to encompass both his affection and his awe. Seeing Seth talking about Seto was actually pretty sweet. Seth seemed to implicitly trust Mai, maybe because they'd once been on the verge of making love. Whatever the reason, he was eager to speak about the tall brunette that had captured her attention on the ferry to the island, and she was eager to listen.

"He does his best for his brother, and when he—" Seth froze, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Mai stopped too, even though she'd heard nothing. Before Seth could answer, they were both grabbed from behind and knocked unconscious before they even had a chance to fight back.

* * *

Seth woke up before Mai. He was stiff and cramped, his hands bound with rope. He and Mai were seated back to back on a limestone floor, and the whole room smelled quite familiar to him. On the very edge of his hearing, he could also hear voices.

Incense.

Limestone.

Chanting.

Seth forced his eyelids open, although they were reluctant to obey. He turned his head in the direction of the only source of light: a row of fiery torches a hooded figures. It made him feel strangely nostalgic.

"Hm. Wh-Where are we?" Mai muttered in a low voice, sounding quite confused, and rightly so.

"I don't know, but I'll get us out of here. Stay calm." Seth started to twist his wrists, working at the rope. It only succeeded in burning his own skin, though, so he reached out and found Mai's hands. "I'm going to untie you first, then you can untie me," he whispered. "Don't let them know that you're free, though. Let me handle this."

"Okay." She sounded scared, but calm, which was the best he could hope for. As he tugged at her ties, he turned his head to the side and scanned the room. Then a sickening sight caught his eye: Mokuba and Adina were bound at the foot of an altar on an elevated dais at the front of the room. On top of the altar was the Millennium Rod. Nobody had noticed that they'd woken up, the cultists too busy with the "duel" they were attempting with large stone tablets carved with the images of monsters.

Mai twisted her wrists free and started pulling on the rope that kept Seth's wrist's together. The former pharaoh's blood was boiling, and the moment he was able to, he slid one hand free and pushed away the rough rope.

"Close your eyes," he ordered sternly.

"Why?"

"Just do it," he hissed, his anger bubbling up within. "And no matter what, don't open them until I say you can."

"Alright." Mai squeezed her eyes shut. She was a strong, confident person, but this tournament, for some reason, seemed to be pushing her to her limits.

Seth stood and stepped forward, arm extended as he shouted something in Hieratic Egyptian, and as such, Mai couldn't understand him, which was for the best. If she could understand him, it would frighten her even more. Having interrupted the cloaked cultists in their magic chants, Seth was now the center of attention, even as one of the monster tablets began to crack; that's what happened when you had weak magic and you were interrupted.

The Millennium Rod had begun to glow and levitate above the altar when Seth spoke, and now it flew across the room to be snatched out of the air by the hand of its owner.

Mai, with her eyes firmly closed, heard angry voices shouting in a foreign language. Seth's voice rose above the sound of the others, steady and deep, drowning out all the others. She could discern a strong light behind her closed eyelids, and though she was tempted to open them, she was too afraid to do so. The other voices stopped speaking and started screaming in panic, gradually fading into oblivion.

Then all was silent.

"Mai."

She opened her eyes and saw Seth standing in front of her, holding out his hand. She placed her hand in his and stood shakily, with his help.

"We're taking the children back to the others. How long has it been since we left them?"

"More than an hour," Mai answered with a tone of surprise as she looked at her watch.

"We're going back to the dueling room, then." Seth still looked quite angry, but it was a calm anger. He gently lifted Mokuba in his arms for what felt like the dozenth time that day. "I'm going to settle things with Pegasus once and for all."

Mai picked up Adina, grateful that the child was small and light, making her easy to carry. "Do we know how to get back there?"

"I'll find our way," Seth said confidently. "I've been roaming this castle all day, so I should have little difficulty getting us back." He glanced at Mokuba pityingly as the adolescent rested on his shoulder, looking for all intents and purposes as if he were peacefully asleep and nothing more. Turning to his fellow duelist, he asked, "How do you feel?"

"A little shaken up," she admitted as they started ascending a hidden set of stairs. "But I once went skydiving in New Zealand, so my nerves can handle it. I'll be fine."

"Very well. Onward and upward, then."

"What... what exactly was happening back there?" she asked after a few moments. "Or, what was _going_ to happen? I couldn't tell which it was."

"You'd rest more easily if you didn't know," the brunette answered gravely as they reached the top of the stairs and entered the dungeons. Pegasus' castle was more multi-leveled than anyone would guess from just looking at it.

* * *

"They've been gone an awful long time," Anzu fretted as she gazed at the thick black clouds enveloping both Yugi and Pegasus as they dueled.

"We can't send anyone after them, though," Joey said regretfully. "What if they get lost too?"

"What if they're not lost, though?"

"What do you mean, Marik?" Ryou looked frightened at the implications of Seth and Mai being "not lost."

"Pegasus has, um, what's the word?" Marik still struggled with Japanese, and he was speaking that now for the benefit of Joey and Anzu. They tended to get annoyed when Marik slipped back into Egyptian without meaning to and only Ryou and Seto could understand him.

"Security alarms?"

"Traps?"

"Henchmen?"

"Yes, that one!" Marik's eyes lit up as Joey provided him with the word he sought. "He has henchmen! They tried to stop Seth and I when we were rescuing the little ones."

"Of course he has minions." The blond teen narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Pegasus is a filthy, cowardly, nasty, motherfu—"

"There they are!" Ryou called in relief as Seth and Mai entered the balcony again, still burdened with the children. "What happened? What took you so long?"

"Pegasus' lackeys got us. Ryou, can you take Mokuba for me?"

"Sure." Ryou relieved the brunette of his twelve-year-old burden and carefully lay him on the floor, Mai doing the same with Adina.

"Pegasus' reign is over," Seth growled, extracting the Millennium Rod from his belt and twirling it impressively in his hand before holding it in an extended arm facing the mass of purple-black clouds swarming the Duel Arena. The Rod started to glow as the Eye of Ra simultaneously glowed on his forehead, his spirit invading the duel.

* * *

"Yugi, let me do this!" Yami insisted as the stubborn teen fought to keep himself on his feet. "The magic is too strong for you!"

"I must," Yugi insisted weakly. "Now, I play one card face-down and..." He swayed, the card slipping from his fingers to land on its space on the card-reader.

"Yugi, no!" Yami reached out to him with ghostly hands, but as the youth tipped backwards, a hand materialized behind him and stopped him from falling. Yami couldn't hide his shock as he stared up at Seth, who looked back at him with mutual respect, then turned to face their opponent. His hand was glowing with a warm, white light as he restored Yugi's energy.

"What are you doing here?!" the creator of Duel Monsters exclaimed with shock and fury. "This isn't possible!"

"I'm afraid it is, and your soul-stealing, body-snatching days are over." Looking at Yami and Yugi, who'd opened his eyes again and was looking perplexed, Seth said, "You two have been switching out during the duel to keep him from reading your minds, is that it?"

"Yes. It was working well up until he turned it into a Shadow Game," Yami answered, glancing down at Yugi in concern.

"If you want, you can merge together again. I can shield your minds for the rest of the duel."

"Thank you." Yugi's shadow inclined his head to Seth in gratitude. He didn't need to ask why Seth would be willing to help them like this. Not only was he a noble soul during the Monster World incident, he also desired for the six souls Pegasus had stolen to be set free. He missed Seto terribly.

* * *

"What's he doing, do you think?" Joey lifted a finger and was about to poke Seth's cheek.

"Joey! What are you thinking?" Anzu scolded, making the blond roll his eyes. "Don't be obnoxious!"

"I'm not being obnoxious!" he defended in annoyance. "I just want to make sure he didn't fall asleep standing up."

"I really don't think you should disturb him," Ryou interjected a bit anxiously, looking between Joey, Anzu, and Seth.

"He's helping Yugi. I already told you that." Marik jutted his chin and crossed his arms, a gesture he'd picked up from being exposed to the modern world. "I don't know why you won't believe me."

"I do, I just don't understand it." Joey squinted at Seth as he leaned closer in. "Someone dare me to touch him."

"I dare you!" Mai piped up, in the mood for some amusement.

"Don't encourage him," Anzu snapped, but that was all the motivation Joey needed. He lifted his hand and was an inch away from poking Seth in the face when the brunette blinked and awoke from his stupor. Joey cried out in surprise and leapt back, making the whole group of friends laugh as the solid shadows around the Duel Arena dissipated.

"Yugi Moto has defeated Maximillion Pegasus!" Croquette announced, making the teens, and Mai, cheer triumphantly. Yugi turned to look up at his friends, looking pleased and relieved. When Pegasus had invoked his shadow magic and turned their duel into a Shadow Game, he'd begun to fear that he'd never see them again.

"He's getting away!" Seth shouted suddenly as Pegasus fled the room. The tall brunette seized the balcony railing in both hands and vaulted over the edge, landing heavily on the platform below.

"What are you doing?" Ryou called, eyes wide as he tried to process what the spirit had in mind.

"Making sure he keeps his promise," Seth shouted back as he stood and turned to face them. "Once he sets their souls free, I'll get Duke and meet you outside!" He then turned and ran down the hallway at full speed. Luckily for him, Seto was quite fast, his strong legs able to carry Seth faster than Pegasus could run. Straight down one hallway, a right-hand turn at the end of it, then a short sprint that brought him close enough to tackle Pegasus to the floor.

"Release them now!" Seth growled, glaring down at the owner of the Millennium Eye. Their faces were inches away, Pegasus' natural eye filled with fear and frustration. " _All_ of them: Mr. Moto, Duke, Adina, Mokuba, and Seto. _Now_."

"Alright, _alright_ ," Pegasus muttered in defeat. "You got me. I'll do as I promised to do, just let me up."

Seth did so reluctantly kneeling on the floor beside the pale-haired man as he pulled the five soul cards out of his inner coat pocket. He splayed them on the floor, and with his fingers splayed over the cards, his Millennium Eye glowed. The pictures on the cards glowed whitely, and after a few moments, just as the images and the light started to fade, Seth was filled with a lighting strike of magical energy.

* * *

Seto was despairing of ever being set free when something changed. He could _feel_ his surroundings.

Water.

He was in freezing cold water, which filled him with panic, since he'd never learned how to swim. Never had the chance. For the first time since he'd been banished here, he recovered his sense of direction.

Up.

He knew where up was. Up was paired with the vague light. He fought his way up towards the light, and encountered a solid, translucent surface.

Ice.

He bashed his fists against it. He wanted to _breathe_ again. He wanted to feel _alive_.

A pair of hands plunged into the water from somewhere nearby and grabbed a hold of Seto's, yanking him in the direction of the hole. Seto latched on and, feet kicking, was hauled out of the icy water. He gasped and gulped in air, shivering as he dripped water onto the floor. His savior's pair of strong hands seized him by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet.

"Seth," Seto sighed in gratitude and relief. Never before had he been happier to see the spirit. Seth didn't look happy, though.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" he demanded, giving his soaked hikari a firm shake. "In what universe did you think that plan would actually _work_? Did you think that ignoring me, alienating your friends, and risking your own life would actually get your brother _back_?"

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Damn right you're sorry! Do you have any _idea_ how much I _need_ you?" Tears filled Seth's eyes as Seto started to understand that Seth was only angry because... "I need you alive, your brother needs you alive, the whole _world_ needs you _alive_!"

"What are you talking about?"

"That's not important right now," Seth sighed as he shrugged off his own cloak and wrapped it around Seto, pulling him close into a tight embrace. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he continued sternly, although his anger was fading a bit now. "Do you understand, Seto?"

"Yes." Seto was still trying to catch his breath from being underwater. He put his arms around Seth in return, eager to soak in as much of his warmth as he could, since the chill of the ice had seeped into his very bones.

"I love you, _musuko_ ," the priest whispered.

 _Musuko_. My son.

"I love you too." Seto wanted to call Seth his father, but he couldn't get the word out. It had been so long since he'd affectionately addressed _anyone_ as his father that he didn't know how. So instead he whispered, "You're the best father I've ever had."

They held each other for a good long time, Seth warming the younger one with a subtle magic. They only pulled apart when Seto had a grand revelation.

"Wait, if I'm back, then does that mean—"

"Yes. Mokuba's free too. All of them are." Seth smiled reassuringly, pushing Seto's wet bangs off his face so that he could see his eyes more clearly. "We need to free Duke then meet the others outside. He was handcuffed to a bed, and I didn't have the key. I figured you'd know how to get him out."

"And, the kids?" Seto ventured.

"Adina and Mokuba are with the others," Seth assured, still smiling. "They're safe. Come, let's rescue Duke and take you back to your brother."

* * *

Seto woke up kneeling on the floor. Five blank cards lay in front of him with a small silver key on a string. Pegasus was long gone.

 _That must be the key to Duke's handcuffs. The metal matches them,_ Seth commented as Seto hesitantly picked up the cards.

 _Should I keep these?_ he asked hesitantly.

 _Better we have them than somebody else. If we have them, then at least we know they're not being used against innocent people._

 _Fair enough_. Seto stood unsteadily, still shivering a bit from the cold of the arctic pool in his soul-room where Pegasus had imprisoned him. At least he wasn't still soaking wet. _Alright, Seth. Which way do we go to find Duke?_


	41. S1: Regroup

Pegasus had fled to the top of his tower, his own private bedroom. In his grief, he'd closed the curtains and left the room dim to make it match his mood. He tried not to look at the huge portrait of his wife, but it was the centerpiece of the room. How could he _not_ look at her?

"Oh, Cecelia, my love." He was sobbing as he fell to his knees before the portrait, his head hanging low as the tears streamed down his face. "I was so close to seeing you again, holding you again... So close..."

The lonely man dissolved into grief and weeping as he was overwhelmed with despair. It had never occurred to him to consider if Cecelia would have approved of his methods for resurrecting her. He had never stopped to consider how she would have reacted to seeing children kidnapped, even sacrificed, for her sake.

Thanks to his selfish actions, he would never see her again, not even in the Hereafter.

* * *

"Seto! Thank goodness, I thought I was going to be left here to rot." Duke sighed with relief as his professional partner entered the room. "Do you know how to pick locks?"

"Yes, but I have something better than that." Seto held up the key with a smirk. "I'll have to showcase my lock-picking skills for you another time."

"The quicker you can get me out of here, the better." Duke held still as Seto slid the key into each lock,

"They'll probably be outside somewhere," Seto commented as he and Duke found their way outside of the castle. "Yugi beat Pegasus, so the tournament's over."

"Oh yeah, how'd you do with that?"

"I didn't quite... participate in the tournament. Not properly at the end of it, at least."

"What do you mean?" Duke still found it hard to believe that Seto hadn't won the whole thing.

Seto explained to Duke about the children getting kidnapped, him infiltrating the castle, confronting Pegasus in the dungeon, dueling Yugi—at Duke's insistence, he explained specifically _how_ he'd won, which clarified for Duke why he was so ashamed of it—and then dueling Pegasus.

"So when I lost my duel with Pegasus, I also lost my own soul, my chance of winning back Mokuba's soul, and, least importantly, my title as champion. Yugi beat Pegasus, though, so I suppose that makes _him_ the King of Games now. Do you know how to get out of here?"

"Yeah, I think it's just around this corner." Duke took the lead, but he still looked thoughtful, as if there was something on his mind. "So, all of this magic stuff. It's real, isn't it?" he asked as he pushed a door open for Seto to pass through.

"It's as real as you and I are," the brunette answered gravely as he walked through the doorway. Duke dropped the door and caught up to him, falling into step beside him, their strides evenly matched.

"And you believe in all that?" Duke asked quietly, eyebrows drawn together as he struggled to accept it himself. "You truly believe it?"

"I have to." Narrowed sapphire eyes met puzzled emerald ones. "Otherwise, I'd be in massive denial, and it would get very difficult for me to make sense of everything."

"That's good enough for me," Duke replied, seeming satisfied for now. He believed in Seto, and if Seto believed in the magic, then he could too. "I'm sorry about your brother. I hope he's alright."

"I hope so too."

Duke glanced at Seto again, and couldn't suppress his smirk any longer. "Nice eyeliner, by the way."

"What?!" Shocked, Seto stopped short, then turned to check his reflection in the shiny glass of a framed portrait hanging inconspicuously on the wall. "Damn it, Seth," he grumbled as he lifted a hand to try and wipe it away. What on earth had he been thinking?

"Hey, don't do that," Duke said gently, pulling Seto's hand away from his face and turning the brunette to face him. "You'll only make it worse. Let me do it." He started pulling a handkerchief out of his back pocket and said, "Close your eyes."

Reluctantly, Seto did so, and with much fussing and flinching, Duke managed to remove nearly all traces of the make-up.

"Who's Seth?" Duke asked as he folded his handkerchief again and tucked it back into his pocket.

"It's a long story," Seto sighed, ten cast a sidelong glance at his friend, realizing that he still didn't know why Duke was here in the first place. "What were _you_ doing on Pegasus' private island?"

"Same."

They fell into silence as the two of them pushed through doors and strode around corners. Once the final exit was in sight, Seto couldn't help from quickening his pace. He wanted to see his brother more than anything else right then. The only reason Mokuba had been taken was because Seto had left him behind. He shoved the doors open, lengthening his stride, going so fast that Duke had to jog to catch up to him. Outside again, but nobody in sight. This looked like a small, isolated garden, fenced in on all sides, but Seto didn't look around. He ran straight for the gates, shoving them open, and was greeted by a cry.

"Seto!" Mokuba ran to his brother from across the courtyard, and Seto ran out to meet him in the middle, dropping to his knees and holding his arms out so that Mokuba could run right into him. As Seto wrapped his arms around his little brother, Mokuba began to cry. "You're here, you're here!" Seto's eyes started to water, and he closed them to keep himself from crying too.

"Yeah, I'm here," Seto whispered warmly, smiling a little in relief.

"Would you look at that," Mai murmured as she gazed at them both, a bit touched by the reunion. Neither brother heard her, though.

"I was afraid I'd never see you again..." Mokuba murmured, tightening his arms around Seto's neck as he pressed closer to him, reassured by his presence.

"I'll _always_ protect you." Seto was too focused on Mokuba to hear the approaching footsteps of their friends. "I never break a promise, remember?" He moved one hand to the back of Mokuba's head, gave him a final squeeze, then pulled back at last and brushed his thumb under one of Mokuba's eyes. "Come on, no more crying, okay?"

"Okay." Mokuba nodded and sniffled, wiping both his eyes with the ends of his sleeves. "I knew you'd never give up on me." He smiled weakly and wrapped his hand around the locket his brother had given him. Seto smiled back, pat his brother's head affectionately, and stood up again, his eyes falling on his friends for the first time. Ashamed, he didn't know what to say as they smiled back at him in relief and affection, so he was grateful when Joey stepped up and broke the silence.

"It's good to have you back, man." Joey extended an arm to Seto, who clasped it and drew his friend into a hug, prompting Mokuba to step out of the way before he got squashed between them. "I'm so sorry for the things I said," the blond whispered into his ear, which made Seto begin to feel the same relief that the others felt.

"Don't worry about it," Seto murmured back, the two of them speaking low enough that nobody else could hear them. "I deserved it." He released Joey, who stepped back, and Seto's eyes now fell on someone else he'd wronged in his cold rage, when all he could think about was rescuing his brother at any cost. "Yugi."

The shorter teen lifted his warm orchid eyes to Seto's with an expression of peace. "You don't have to apologize, Seto," he said calmly before the brunette could stop him. "Next time you're in trouble, though, come to us, okay? That's what friends are for."

Seto nodded, his sense of shame undiminished by the other's speech, but still feeling more at ease. There was something else that he needed to say, though. "Due to the circumstances of our last, the results were inconclusive."

Yugi nodded, his lips twitching into a smile as he and Seto shared a knowing look. "I look forward to a rematch." Yugi held out his hand and Seto shook it, feeling a bit of closure as he released Yugi's hand. Ryou, who'd been holding in his excitement up until this point, ceased restraining himself.

"I'm so glad you're back, Seto!" he enthused as he threw his arms around him, Marik just a moment behind him. Seto's look of surprise at being tackled was amusing enough to make Anzu and Yugi laugh. Duke chuckled too, which drew Mai's eyes to him.

"And who might you be?" she asked, one eyebrow arched perfectly as she looked him up and down. Duke smirked and walked closer to her, then bowed at the waist with a flourish.

"The name's Duke Devlin," he answered with the smooth charm of a seasoned courtier as he kissed the back of her hand. "You can call me Duke." As he straightened up and grinned, Joey began to bristle, narrowing his eyes at the other teen.

"Mai Kujaku," she replied warmly, then turned to look at everyone. "This is all well and good, but how do we plan on getting off this island? All the boats are gone, and I don't see any way to get back."

Ryou and Marik released Seto as everyone started looking thoughtful, trying to come up with a solution.

"I arrived here in a helicopter." Duke turned to look at Seto questioningly. "Do you think we could...?"

"We'd need a little time, but it's completely possible."

"What are you two talking about?" Ryou looked from one to the other, both of them smiling with a look of satisfaction.

"Give us an hour or two, and we'll be ready to take off," Seto said, looking quite confident in his statement. "Do you remember where it is?"

"Yeah, this way." Duke led Seto towards the hangar, and the others, intrigued, followed suit. They went down a set of stairs that wound around the castle and took them to the side of the cliff. Duke found the button for the garage door and held it until the huge wall of metal had rolled back onto the ceiling of the cavernous helicopter hangar.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Mokuba's eyes grew wide as they all entered.

Duke and Seto ran over to the only helicopter in sight, both of them climbing inside without hesitation.

"Wait a minute." Joey was just starting to understand what they had in mind. "You mean to tell me that you two are going to try to fly that yourselves?!"

"Do or not do," Duke called as he popped out of the side of the helicopter, looking smug. "There is no try!"

"Surely they have a pilot around somewhere." Anzu looked to Yugi. "Maybe we can find Croquette and ask him if he can send a pilot down to fly us home."

"You can do that while we figure out how to fly it, just in case you can't find him," Seto called, popping out from the other side. "And if you could take the kids back to the courtyard, that'd be great. We don't want anyone to get hurt." There were plenty of tools and dangerous things that anyone could have used to accidentally hurt themselves, but he was, of course, more worried about the kids. "We'll get you when we're ready."

"Hold on a minute: Who even said that we trust you guys as our pilots?" Joey looked like he honestly couldn't believe they thought they could fly without any training.

"If you really think that, then good luck swimming back to Domino."

The others laughed while Joey tried to maintain a look of irritation.

* * *

"How much fuel are we going to need?" Duke asked as Seto squinted at the operations manual.

"The amount of fuel we'll need is determined by how far we need to go, how fast we'll fly, how long it'll take, how much weight we're carrying, and the rate of fuel consumption," Seto muttered, mostly to himself, then pulled out a pen and started doing calculations in the margins of the manual. "How much weight do you think the helo can carry? I mean, we have more people than seats, so it might be too much to get everyone back in one go." Seto looked up at Duke contemplatively. "We can't just... _ask_ people how much they weigh, can we?"

Duke chuckled at him and replied, "No, I'm afraid that's not socially acceptable, but lucky for you, I'm excellent at guessing how much people weigh."

"I thought that was a carnival trick," Seto retorted with a frown.

"You only win if they _can't_ guess," Duke pointed out.

"But I thought that they had a meter behind the stand or something," the brunette persisted.

"Nope. Just watch me. I'll be back in a tick!" Duke jogged off in the direction of the stairs. He was gone for a few minutes, then came striding confidently back. "Imperial or metric?"

"Metric."

"In approximates, rounding to the nearest multiple of five..." Duke paused as he took a breath. "Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty—"

"Oh, you're just counting," Seto scoffed, and Duke cast him a playful glare.

"I'm going in chronological order for your benefit. I can specify the weight by person, if that's what it takes to make you believe me."

"Do whatever works," Seto grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Adina's twenty, Mokuba's thirty, Yugi's forty—"

"No surprise there."

"Anzu's forty-five, Ryou's fifty—"

"He always did look light to me."

"Mai's fifty, thirty-six double-d—"

"Duke." There was a warning tone in Seto's voice as he erased Mai's bra size from his calculations. "Don't mess me up like that."

"Marik's fifty-five, you're sixty, and I'm sixty-four, precisely," Duke concluded, standing behind Seto and leaning against the aircraft. When his partner glanced up at him curiously, Duke smirked and added, "It's all muscle."

"Let's hope those guesses are good enough. Did you round up or down?"

"Down, I think. For the most part."

"Then I'm going to add five to each number, just to be safe." When Seto finished his calculations, he was able to tell Duke how much fuel they'd need added to the tank.

"We'll be cutting things a bit close but we should make it back to Domino without incident so long as the weather holds."

"I'll go find some, then."

A little while later, as Duke was filling the tank with the appropriate amount of fuel, he was watching with appraising eyes as the brunette flipped through the manuals with an expression of deep concentration.

"You know, you're lighter than I expected."

"What?" Seto looked at Duke in confusion.

"Weight-wise, I mean," Duke clarified, tilting his head to the side a little as he tried to determine a more precise weight for his friend. "I would have expected you to weigh more, considering how tall you are."

"That's not really your business," Seto muttered, looking back at the manuals as he attempted to close the matter.

"I suppose not," the mechanic conceded. He wanted to be respectful of Seto's privacy, even if he was concerned about him.

"Here." Seto handed him the operations manual as he continued his calculations. "You'll need this to know how to fly."

Duke took the manual from him and frowned at the table of contents. "Can't you give me the digest version?"

"I thought you'd appreciate a more technical description of how it works," the brunette replied without looking up.

Duke shrugged casually, then turned back to the fuel pump. "I'll get to it later." He paused, then added, not looking at Seto, "I... actually have dyslexia. Reading gives me a headache."

"Huh. I never would have guessed." Seto didn't seem to care either way, and Duke felt the tiniest bit relieved.

"It's the only reason I'm still in high school. I could have gotten my GED by now otherwise."

"After getting your GED early, what would you have done?" Seto couldn't help that he was curious about his friend's plans.

"Actually, that's kind of why I was here," Duke began to explain, leaning against the helicopter again. "I've been working on a pet project for quite a while. I was creating a game of my own: Dungeon Dice Monsters. I was in touch with Pegasus for a few weeks before he called me out here. For one thing, it uses all the same monsters as Duel Monsters, so I'd need the rights from him to do that, but I also needed an investor. We started negotiating the deal when I got here and decided to market it as a spin-off game. His company would handle production, shipping, marketing, all the rest, and I'd have a plump royalties check if everything went well." Duke sighed and twisted his fingers through his ponytail out of habit. "I would have liked to keep my game as my own and contribute to later upgrades and releases, but it was partly his too, because of the monsters." He sighed as he watched Seto thumbing through the pages detailing the inner mechanics of the helicopter's engine. "I always wanted my own game shop," he said wistfully, sounding almost nostalgic. "I always liked games, but some of them were... harder for me. Numbers give me the most trouble."

He paused in his monologue when Seto held up the a manual open to pages of an illustration that explained the connection between the foot-pedals, the rotors, and the levers.

"Thanks." Duke accepted it with active eyes, turning towards the helicopter and laying the booklet on its exterior as he absorbed the information.

"You know, I've been working on a side project of my own, too. Almost a year now, actually," Seto said. He'd never told anyone about it before, not even Mokuba. "It's a virtual reality computer program. It's far from finished, and I don't even have the technology to make it work, but..." He shrugged.

"But you're still hoping it'll go somewhere someday." Duke smiled a little. He understood Seto's thinking. He'd finished his own project, but when he was in the middle, still trying to figure it out, it felt like he was accomplishing nothing and that it would go nowhere. "I'm sure it will, but whatever you do, don't bring it to KaibaCorp. They'll steal it faster than you can say copyright infringement." Duke grinned as Seto chuckled in response. "It's good to be working with you again, Seto."

"It's good to be working with you again too, Duke."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I actually checked their canonical weights and rounded the numbers to something Duke could actually guess. All measurements are given in kilograms. Fun fact: Mokuba, Ryou, and Mai are canonically underweight. True story. I did the math myself, taking into account height, age, and gender too. Kinda sad. Anyways, this chapter was nearing five thousand words, so I just decided to chop it in half. My poor characters, they were supposed to get home this chapter. :( _**Please review and let me know how you liked this chapter!**_

Oh, and Pegasus is totally going to hell. -_- Nobody kidnaps children and gets away with it! Not in _my_ fanfics!


	42. S1: Helicopter

**Author Notes:** I know I've been a little too "friendship fixes everything" lately, so at the end of this chapter (and in the remaining chapters of this season), I return to the angst that I know you people love. ^_^ Enjoy and please review if you want to see what happens next! ;)

* * *

"Seto?" Ryou was a few steps inside the garage with a cell-phone to his ear. The brunette looked up and couldn't help but wonder how long his hesitant friend had been waiting for them.

"Yes, what do you need?"

"My mother is wondering when we'll be arriving in Domino," Ryou said, trying to hide a slight smile of amusement. "She also asked, 'Where on God's good earth does he plan to land that thing?'"

Seto couldn't help but laugh. "We'll be arriving in Domino around three o'clock, give or take a half hour. As long as no bad weather pops up, we should be good to go. Duke, did you find the sonar equipment?"

"Oh, right, I was supposed to do that." Duke grimaced apologetically. "I'll get right on that when I'm done with this. It'll be mostly computers, though, so once I get it booted up, it's up to you to figure out what it says."

"And, where we're landing?" Ryou prompted.

"Industrial Illusions has an office building in Domino," Seto answered as he stood and dusted off his hands. "The roof has a helicopter launchpad for the use of company helicopters, like this one." He pointed to the I-squared logo on the tail. "We'll radio the Industrial Illusions air-traffic controller, assuming they have one on duty at the time. If we can't get in touch with them, we'll look for the next best thing, which will probably be the nearest empty field. We're loading enough fuel to get us that far in case we need to."

"Okay, thanks. I'll tell her." Ryou stepped out of the garage for a few moments to finish his call. When he'd hung up, he stepped back inside and walked closer to the aircraft. "She's relieved that everyone's okay. She panicked when Mokuba disappeared. Called the police and everything."

"I'm grateful that she cares."

"She's probably telling the police right now where Mokuba and Adina are. I hope Pegasus gets what he deserves." There was a tone of bitterness in Ryou's normally peaceful voice.

"I do too, but that's probably not going to happen." Seto's blue eyes narrowed in bitterness. "Millionaires like him always manage to buy their way out of an arrest."

"Not just that," Duke added, looking up. "But this island is in international waters."

"Are you _sure_?" This news bothered Seto for reasons Ryou couldn't understand.

"Yeah, he mentioned it my first day here."

"Damn it!" Seto kicked the side of the helicopter and turned away to pace in the other direction, tense as he ran a hand through his hair, which was becoming messier the longer he was in the garage.

"Why is that a bad thing?" Ryou asked slowly, facing Duke with his eyes still fixed on Seto.

"Because it means that unless he reenters Japanese waters or lands, he can't be arrested, charged, indicted, or prosecuted," Duke informed him, looking sour. "In other words, he gets away with everything, because he can stay here forever and have food shipped in from the outside."

"That's awful. Isn't there anything they can do?" Ryou's eyes darted between the two of them, Seto's previous exclamation making perfect sense now.

"Not unless we deliver him bound and gagged at the doorstep of the police department," Seto growled.

"Is the gagging really necessary?" Duke asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, but I'd still prefer it." Seto huffed with annoyance and went inside the helicopter, now out of Ryou's sight.

"Do you think we can take on the extra weight?" Duke asked, and Seto popped his head out again, looking thoughtful.

"I don't know off the top of my head, but I could check the numbers." Set hopped out, snatched the second manual off the floor, and flipped to the page where he did those calculations.

"Wait, you're not... _serious_ about this, are you?" Ryou asked, but neither teen answered him as they looked at Seto's sketched math, pressing the manual to the front of the helicopter and smoothing out the pages between them.

"How much do you reckon Pegasus weighs?" Seto asked after a moment.

"More than that," Duke said with a sigh, pointing to the number representing how much weight they could still take on without compromising their ability to get to Domino within reasonable safety margins.

"It was a good plan while it lasted." The long-limbed teen made no effort to conceal his disappointment as he went back in. "I'm not sure we would have been able to fit him inside, anyways. We don't have enough seats for us all as it is."

"Who said anything about carrying him _inside_ the helicopter?" Duke joked. "I thought you'd insist on letting him hang by a rope from the bottom and letting him go for a swim."

As Seto's rich laughter resonated from inside, Ryou's eyes widened in shock. "That's absolutely barb—" Duke slapped his hand over Ryou's mouth before he could continue.

"You know what, I think I'll go find the weather sonar systems now. The sooner, the better right? Ryou, how about you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Ryou answered after pushing Duke's hand away and giving him a confused glare. Duke rolled his eyes and put a hand on Ryou's shoulder to guide him into the back of the garage where a door, previously unopened, awaited them. Duke pulled the door closed behind them, and Ryou was willing to stew without mentioning what had bothered him, but Duke wasn't about to let it rest. His hand returned to Ryou's shoulder after flicking on the lights, holding him at arm's length as bright emerald eyes studied Ryou's face.

"How well do you know Seto?" the mechanic asked after waiting long enough to make Ryou profoundly uncomfortable.

"Fairly well." Ryou crossed his arms defensively. "I've known him longer than _you_ have."

"Then, unless you know something I don't, you know he's not the kind of person to actively seek revenge."

"No, he doesn't seek revenge, as far as I know," Ryou answered after a moment's thought, uncrossing his arms as he realized this wasn't going to be an argument. "He retaliates, he defends, but that's all. Even back before he and Joey were friends, they fought all the time, but every fight ended the day it started."

"If you know him well, you know that he doesn't have a lot." Duke's eyes were serious, almost sad, as he spoke of Seto. "Let him have his revenge fantasy."

"Okay."

Duke dropped his hand from Ryou's shoulder and stepped further into the room.

"Looks like we found what we're looking for."

* * *

"We have more people than seats, so it's going to be a tight squeeze," Duke said as he handed headsets to all of their passengers as they boarded one by one. "Please wear these at all times to protect your ears. They are equipped with short-wave radios so we can still talk to each other. Both children must sit on someone's lap, and a couple people may have to double buckle."

He handed the last headset to Joey, who commented, "You sound just like a flight attendant."

"That's kinda the idea." Duke rolled his eyes before closing the door behind Joey and joining Seto in the cockpit, where his partner was just starting the engines.

"Pre-take-off checks complete," the brunette informed him. The garage door was open, ready for their departure. "Everyone buckled in?"

"As best as we can manage," Yugi answered, speaking for them all. It _was_ cramped, but they weren't terribly uncomfortable.

"Would you like to go through the emergency procedures, O captain, my captain?" Duke smiled at Seto with easy-going amusement.

"It mostly all boils down to don't do anything stupid. If you have to consider whether or not something is stupid, then it probably is. In the event of an emergency landing—"

"Stick your head between your knees and kiss your bum goodbye!" Duke interjected with a wide grin.

Mokuba and Adina started giggling; they didn't feel the weight of the risk yet. This still felt like a game to them. They trusted Seto too much to believe that they would crash.

"Duke—"

"You got something to add to that?"

Seto rolled his eyes and retorted, "I was going to say, 'Stay calm and let women and children out first,' but if all goes well, it won't matter either way." He and Duke exchanged a grim look before returning their gazes to the instruments panel and turning on the rotors. Getting out of the helicopter hangar would be the trickiest part.

* * *

"I-squared tower, this is Zulu Echo Foxtrot Romeo requesting current weather conditions in Domino."

"Zulu Echo Foxtrot Romeo, this is I-squared tower. Current weather is sunny with low winds from the north-east."

"Thank you, over." Seto looked to Duke. "Want me to take controls for the landing?"

"Yeah, my hands are starting to cramp up." Duke looked relieved, and Seto placed his feet on the pedals, seizing the throttle and the control lever again. "You ready?" Duke asked, and when Seto nodded, he flipped a few switches.

"I have control."

The vehicle lurched a little, but remained relatively steady.

"Are you sure you know how to land this thing?" Mai asked dubiously from the back.

"No, but I don't need any back-seat pilots," Seto sighed, clearly irritated.

"It's so cool that you're going to land a helicopter, Seto! Just wait till I tell Amane about this!" Mokuba was immensely proud of his brother.

"Who's Amane?"

"My girlfriend." Mokuba answered Mai with a hint of vanity.

"Mokuba, what did I tell you about calling her your girlfriend?" Seto prompted with a disapproving tone.

The child sighed heavily and answered, "That I'm not allowed to until I'm twenty-five."

Seto's peers snickered, but he was grateful when none of them commented on it.

"Amane is my little sister," Ryou clarified, slightly adjusting Mokuba's position on his lap. Beside him, Adina was perching on Anzu's, looking content and sleepy as she cuddled with the teenager. She'd imprinted on her at Death-T and now that they'd met again, she clung to her and her alone. "She's in Mokuba's class at school."

"Twenty-five? Really?" Duke asked, glancing at Seto in amusement.

"He's a _child._ If I set the bar high enough, he won't try to haggle the age lower," Seto answered, feeling the need to justify himself.

"I can still hear you!" Mokuba crossed his arms indignantly as Adina giggled at them.

Seto rolled his eyes and deflected the matter entirely. "How about you just go back to playing the game."

"You're not going to play?" Anzu asked in surprise. "But you're the best at it!"

"I need to focus on flying the helicopter, but thank you."

"Where did we leave off?"

"I think it was Joey's turn again."

"Okay then: I went through customs and all I had to declare was some jelly from New Delhi, a speedo from Toledo, a beret from San Jose, green tea from Hawaii, a violin from Berlin, some cattle from Seattle, a cow from Glasgow, gin from Berlin, some stew from Peru, a daffodil from Brazil, some pork from New York, a chalice from Dallas, some maracas from Caracas, a comb from Rome, and... a spring from Beijing!" Joey looked quite proud of his contribution.

The game continued until they were quite close to Domino, at which point Seto asked for everyone to be quite so he could focus. It was one thing to be flying out over the middle of the ocean where they were the only people around for miles. It was another thing entirely to be flying out over a metropolitan city where they were openly visible and could potentially crash into a skyscraper. Duke communicated with the air traffic controller since Seto didn't have any free hands to do so himself.

When they landed, the Industrial Illusions employees were quite confused by the pilots who exited the cockpit. Duke and Seto explained that they couldn't find any certified pilots on the island and they'd had to take matters into their own hands in order to return, so the employees tentatively accepted their reasons and decided not to report them. Or press charges for their unauthorized use of their helicopter.

"It's not as if we were stealing it," Duke said with a smug look. "It was a hijacking at worst."

The group was ushered inside, and the ATC assigned an intern to help them all get home. Adina was easy enough to take care of. All she had to do was call her home and tell them where she was, and a limo was immediately on its way to pick her up. Mai called a cab and bid everyone farewell, promising that she'd see them again at the next Duel Monsters tournament. Joey regretted not getting her number before she left. Duke's motorbike was in the Industrial Illusions parking garage, so he took Joey back to the marina where he'd left his car. Ryou's mom arrived to pick them up about ten minutes after they landed. She texted Ryou when she arrived, and they all went downstairs to meet her.

Amane and Miya were standing outside the van when the group of teens exited the front doors of the office building, and the instant Mokuba was outside, Amane dashed forward to throw herself at him. They hugged tightly standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Oh, I'm so glad that you're alright." Ryou's mother sighed with relief, looking a little frazzled. Ryou smiled apologetically as he approached her and gave her a hug, feeling guilty for leaving her home alone with no one to help take care of the kids. Then again, he _had_ left Marik with her, who'd then snuck onto the ferry with Anzu...

"Thank you for coming to pick us up, Mrs. Bakura," Anzu said politely as the younger ones finally broke from their embrace and began to sign to each other, still in a little world of their own. Seto was keeping an eye on them, though.

"Oh, it's no trouble, dear," she replied, smiling warmly. "You all can come over to our house for the rest of the day, if you like."

"Do you think you could drop me off at the hospital first?" Yugi asked, looking anxious. "My mom's there with my grandfather, and I want to see how he's doing."

"Of course. Which one is he at?"

Yugi told Ryou's mom which hospital his grandfather had been admitted to and they all climbed into the van. It was also a tight squeeze, like the helicopter, but not as bad. They left Yugi and Anzu at the hospital then went home. Seto and Mokuba stuck around for a couple hours, playing games with Ryou, Marik, and Amane. They probably would have stayed until dinner, as Ryou's mother had invited them to do, but Seto got a call from Duke that changed his plans.

"It's been a couple weeks since we've seen each other, how about we go out to do some catching up?" Duke asked casually.

"Go out?"

"Yeah, I'll take you and Mokuba out to dinner. It'll be fun."

Seto bit his lip as he thought about the offer, then said, "Do you have room for the three of us on your bike?"

"Of course I do, but I was thinking Joey could join us. He'd give us all a ride. If you say yes, I'll let him know that we're on for tonight and tell him to pick you up. Where are you right now?"

"Wait, hold on, I haven't said yes yet." Duke was moving too quickly through his plans for Seto to make up his mind.

"Come on, Seto. You and I both know that you don't want to go home yet." Duke's tone was knowing, almost sympathetic. "Like I said, it'll be fun." When Seto still hesitated, he added, "Mokuba will like it. It'll be good for him, besides."

"We're still at Ryou's house," Seto answered with a sigh. When Duke put it that way, he couldn't say no. Mokuba got along with Duke and Joey, too. He liked them, and Seto was glad that Mokuba liked his friends, but beyond that, he thought it'd be good for Mokuba to spend some time having fun after his unpleasant experience. He didn't want his brother to become fixated on his abduction or his imprisonment or the time he'd spent with his soul separated from his body. He didn't want Mokuba to be traumatized because Seto hadn't been able to protect him.

Dinner _was_ fun, and Seto was glad that he'd let Duke talk him into it. Joey and Duke argued over picking up the tab while Seto insisted on paying the tip.

Joey dropped Duke off at home first, then did the same for Seto and Mokuba. Seto tried to tell him that he could drop them off and let them walk the rest of the way, but Joey was happy to take the time to drive them home. He wasn't keen on returning to his own home where his detached, yet critical, parents awaited him. This made Joey the only friend who'd seen the part of town where the brothers lived with their neglectful father. He followed Seto's directions and didn't comment when they arrived, just wished them a goodnight and promised to catch up with Seto soon. After all, people had been going in every direction during the Duelist Kingdom finals. No single person yet knew everything that had happened, and collectively they were still trying to put all the pieces together.

The moment Seto and Mokuba walked through the door to their apartment, their father was there, grabbing Seto by the front of his shirt and shoving him against the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, clearly furious. Good God, he was sober. He was always harder to handle when he was sober.

"Go, Mokuba," Seto said calmly. He didn't need to be told twice. He dashed away in the direction of their bedroom.

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

Seto was slammed against the door again, and he could have sworn that he heard the wood crack behind his head.

"Don't get smart with me," he father sneered, Seto's fists clenching at his sides. "Where's the money?"

" _My_ money, you mean?" He'd put nearly all of it into a savings account a week before they left for Duelist Kingdom—not even a checking account, because a checking account could be withdrawn from via ATM, which his father _did_ have access to. He'd be making weekly visits to the bank unless he updated his files with Human Resources at KaibaCorp and opted-in to direct deposit. In the event of an emergency, he'd written the account and pin numbers on a small slip of paper and tucked it behind the pictures in Mokuba's and Seto's lockets; the only one who knew it was there was Joey, so that in case anything happened to him, Mokuba wouldn't be left with nothing. And he knew that something might happen to him; it was normal to hear gun-shots exchanged at least once a night in their part of town. It was only a matter of time until their luck ran out and he got caught in the middle of something violent.

Even now, though, he was caught in something violent. Every aspect of his life was saturated with violence. His father threw a punch aimed at his son's face, but Seto ducked under his arm and wrenched free from the grasp on his shirt. His first thought was to grab the first thing his hands found, but the only thing on the kitchen counter was a newspaper, and that would hardly do him any good. While his eyes still sought a weapon, his father turned and tackled him to the floor. That's when the fight really began.

Father and son grappled in a nasty bout of wrestling that gradually shifted from the kitchen to the living room, where empty beer bottles were just within reach. While his father shouted insults, Seto did his best to keep his mouth shut. In the back of his mind, he kept seeing Mokuba's frightened face from the last time something like this happened. Seto was only subdued when his father grabbed a bottle before he could and smashed it against the side of the teen's head.

Mokuba heard the crash of the bottle and flinched. He bit his lip as he stared at the bedroom door, wishing that he could intervene. Seto was always protecting him, always standing between Mokuba and every threat they faced. Mokuba appreciated his brother and every sacrifice he'd made for him—even though he had no idea just how _much_ Seto had sacrificed on his behalf—but he wished that Seto didn't have to suffer so much. He crept up to the door and listened carefully, a morbid sense of curiosity taking hold of him.

"Just cooperate next time, and we can do without this mess," Mokuba heard their father say. His statement was punctuated by a slamming door. Mokuba sighed with relief. He was gone. They were safe. He unlocked the door and started changing into his pajamas, expecting Seto to come in any moment now. A couple minutes went by as Mokuba changed and brushed his knotty hair, getting ready for bed, but Seto still didn't appear. Worried, he left the safety of their room to check on his brother. What he saw made him gasp.

"Seto!" He ran over to his brother's side where he lay unconscious on the floor. He shook his shoulder and repeated his name, but to no avail. His young heart pounded rapidly in his chest as panic seized him. Seto had prepared him for this kind of situation, though. Instructions on what to do in the event of an emergency had been drilled into his head quite faithfully, so Mokuba reached for his brother's cell-phone before he did anything else.

"Hello?"

"Joey, come back! I need your help!"

"Calm down, Mokuba. What's wrong?"

"Seto's hurt and he won't wake up!" His voice went shrill as he struggled to speak without shouting outright.

"I'll be right there." Joey swerved as he turned his car around in an empty intersection and accelerated. "Just stay on the phone with me, Mokuba. Everything's going to be okay."


	43. S1: Waffles

"What's your apartment number?" Joey asked as he locked his car and shoved his keys into his pocket, letting his long legs carry him far into the building and straight to the stairs. Mokuba's answer confirmed his assumption that they were not on the first floor. Joey only hung up once he was outside their door, reaching for the handle. Mokuba was close to tears as he sprang up from the floor, Seto's cell still in his hand.

"It's gonna be okay," Joey said before the child could say anything. He walked briskly over to both of them and knelt beside Seto, prompting Mokuba to do the same. While the blond was focused on the immediate danger, he still noticed the amber bottles, the acrid air, the dingy walls. The broken glass by Seto's head was more concerning than anything else.

"Tell me what happened," Joey asked; Mokuba had been too distressed on the phone to tell him, but now that he was here in person, he seemed to have calmed down a bit. Joey gently rolled Seto onto his back, revealing a dark red gash flecked with sparkling amber crumbs on the side of his head. Joey tried to block the wound from Mokuba's view, not wanting to upset him further.

"When we got home, our dad was..." He struggled to find the right word even as he tried not to look at the blood. "Angry. He grabbed Seto, and Seto told me to leave, so I went to our room and locked the door, like I always do." Mokuba paused to swallow hard, his hands shaking as much as his voice did. "I could hear them fighting. Dad was shouting. I heard the glass break and Dad slammed the door when he left. Then I came out and he was like this."

"Seto, can you hear me? Seto?" Joey's calls were unanswered, and he knew there was only one thing left he could do. He pulled out his phone again and started dialing 911. "Mokuba, get me a towel." The raven-haired child got up and dashed away just as the dispatcher answered Joey's call and started asking questions.

Joey stayed remarkably calm as he applied pressure to the wound with the towel he was given and kept talking with the dispatch on the phone, simultaneously trying to keep Mokuba from dissolving into hysterics. Seto woke up a few minutes into the call, and Joey managed to keep him talking. He tried to sit up, insisting that he was fine, but Joey stopped him.

"You're not fine, Seto, you're bleeding, and you need to lay still," Joey said, repeating things the dispatcher told him to say.

"But he _is_ okay," Mokuba insisted hopefully, reaching out to clasp his brother's hand as slow blue eyes found his tear-stained face. "He's awake now, he's okay. He doesn't have to leave." Mokuba looked frightened at the prospect of his brother being taken away, even if he was only being taken to the hospital.

"I'm sorry Mokuba, but he _does_ have to go, and you know it." This was hard for Joey. He needed to be the calm one, the mature one, the controlled one. He needed to comfort Mokuba and save Seto and make a plan for what they were going to do. He needed to be the adult in a home that wasn't even his. "They'll be here in just a few more minutes, just stay awake until then, okay, Seto?" he pleaded. The brunette looked sleepy and irritated more than anything else. He didn't even look like he was in pain.

"Who's coming?" Seto asked, his voice weak in a way that frightened his brother. Seto never sounded weak like that.

"The paramedics are coming. They'll take you to the hospital so they can stitch you up and check your brain."

"Mokuba's right; I'm fine." Seto made another attempt to sit up, making Joey frustrated.

"You are going to lay down right there or so help me I will hold you down," Joey snapped, his brown eyes burning fiercely. "You are going to the hospital whether you like it or not, because it's what you _need_."

"Okay." Seto gave in much more easily than Joey expected him to, even with the head injury.

"Mokuba, do you see the Millennium Rod?" Joey asked, and Mokuba looked at him in confusion.

Mokuba looked back at the blond in confusion. "The what?" He hadn't known that the item had a name.

"That." Joey nodded in the direction of the golden artifact poking out from within Seto's coat. "Can you please take that out so it's out of the way?"

"O-Okay." Mokuba reached down and gently pulled it out, holding it in front of his chest with both hands, eyes round as he started to seem calmer, shocked into numbness.

"Yes, it's the building with the red convertible parked in front of it," Joey said into the phone. It occurred to him that he was fortunate his car was still there. "Mokuba, when they get here, I need you to stand back and let them do their thing, okay?" Mokuba nodded. "And when they take him to the ambulance, we're gonna follow him in my car, okay?" Mokuba nodded again, feeling slightly comforted by the assurance that he wasn't going to be left behind.

A knock on the front door and an announcement of their presence alerted them to the arrival of the paramedics.

"Mokuba, get the door for them."

The child hopped up to obey Joey, and once he opened the door, all Mokuba could grasp was the flurry of activity, the voices of strangers, and the pressure of Joey's hand on his shoulder as they stood aside, watching and waiting. Joey grabbed Seto's empty wallet off the floor before they followed the paramedics out. He paused and considered cleaning the blood off the floor, but decided that now wasn't the time.

* * *

Joey and Mokuba, who was still wearing his pajamas, sat in the waiting room, neither of them in the mood to talk.

"He's going to be fine, you'll see," Joey said every several minutes, trying to sound convincing. Mokuba stared blankly ahead and tried not to cry. When a nurse finally approached them with an update on the brunette, Joey stood up, wringing his hands nervously. "How is he?"

"He's fine," she assured, making them both sigh with relief. "We cleaned the wound, gave him some stitches, and he's sleeping off the anesthetic now. The x-rays didn't show any bone fractures, but he was complaining of a strong head-ache, so in the morning we're going to give him an MRI to check for any signs of a concussion."

"So you're keeping him overnight?"

"Yes, but one night should be enough."

"That's good. See? I told you he'd be alright." Joey pat Mokuba on the head, but the child didn't look the least bit cheered up. "We'll come back tomorrow then to take him home. Thank you for telling us." He nodded appreciatively to the nurse, who reciprocated and left them with a conventional verbal parting.

"Let's go home, Mokuba. You can stay at my house tonight."

"I'm not leaving." He looked up at Joey with solemn grey eyes. "I'm not leaving him here alone."

"He's just going to be asleep—"

"He wouldn't leave me if it were the other way around," Mokuba insisted, looking quite determined. "If he won't leave me, then I won't leave him."

"Yes, but your brother is just going to sleep from now until morning, and he would want you to get some sleep too," Joey said slowly, sitting beside Mokuba once more. It was almost midnight and they were all tired after such a long day. It was hard to believe that the final duels of the tournament had taken place just that morning. "We can come back before he wakes up again. Would you like that?"

"I don't want to leave him here..." Mokuba whispered, his innocent eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, don't cry," Joey urged soothingly, putting an arm around his slim shoulders. "Your brother will be just _fine_. There's nothing to worry about." Granted, there was a fair chance Seto might have a concussion, but saying that now wouldn't make Mokuba feel any better.

"People _die_ in hospitals, Joey," the raven-haired child whispered, looking at the blond teen with such fear that Joey couldn't take it anymore.

"Mokuba, there is _absolutely_ no way that your brother is going to die between now and tomorrow morning." He spoke with as much energetic confidence as he could muster at this time of night. "I promise you."

Mokuba sniffled and nodded a little, trying to believe him.

Joey gave Mokuba a little nudge with his arm and said, "Would some ice cream make you feel better?"

The grey-eyed child smiled a little bit and nodded.

"Atta boy."

* * *

The next morning, Mokuba woke up in Joey's bed to the smell of pancakes. Joey wasn't there, but the Millennium Rod—an item obviously precious to his brother—was still tucked under Mokuba's pillow. Believing it was safe there, Mokuba decided to leave it behind as he followed his nose down to the kitchen, where Serenity was making, not pancakes, but waffles. Mokuba could feel his empty stomach squishing and squeezing with desire as he stared greedily at the breakfast food. It only took a few moments for Serenity to notice him.

"Good morning, Mokuba!" she called out, smiling and sounding rather cheerful. "Joey said he left to get you some clothes from your house and that he'd be back soon."

Mokuba just nodded, not really knowing what he should say.

"You know, you can come down and eat breakfast, if you're hungry," she added after a moment, eyelashes low and coy as she shyly tried to entice her friend to join her.

"I'm _starving_ ," Mokuba answered, needing no further invitation. They ate their blueberry waffles indulgently, adding strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup to them before they dug in. Serenity didn't ask why Mokuba was there, and he didn't tell her. They talked about the upcoming school-year, the recent weather, the results of the tournament that had ended just yesterday. When they finished eating, Serenity started putting things away, so Mokuba offered to help wash the dishes.

"Hey guys, sorry I was gone so long," Joey said as he walked in through the door joining the house to the garage. "Morning traffic was bad." In other words, it had taken longer to scrub the blood out of the carpet than he had anticipated. He set down the backpack he'd slung over his shoulder and said, "Here you go, Mokuba. I got clothes for you and your brother. You can go change now and I'll finish the dishes." Joey sounded breathless in a nervous way, and he wasn't smiling, although he tried to sound like he was. Mokuba dried his hands on a towel and nodded, grabbing the backpack and going upstairs to change.

"His brother?" Serenity looked at the blond teen with curious eyes. Joey had told her earlier not to ask any questions and to just make Mokuba feel welcome, but now she was starting to wonder. Joey just shook his head, though. Seto kept as much about himself a secret as he could possibly get away with, and Joey didn't plan on ruining that for him. He'd kept Seto's secrets longer than he'd kept any other secret in his entire life—even better than he kept his own. Seto mattered that much to him.

* * *

When Seto woke up, his head throbbed and he didn't want to open his eyes. He could hear mechanical beeping and humming, distant voices hushed by the walls and doors between them and him, the faint chatter of inane television programming. He tried to think back to what had happened last night. He remembered fighting with his dad. He remembered being hit on the head. He remembered seeing Joey and Mokuba anxiously hovering over him. He vaguely remembered the ambulance, the hospital...

That must be where he was now. He knew he should open his eyes and sit up, but his eyelids felt heavy and his body was reluctant to move. He just wanted to rest here for a little while longer before he had to go back to life, to the real world. Didn't he deserve a break? Just a little break from everything? He'd been so relieved when they'd landed in Domino, because everyone was safe and alive, and they didn't have to worry about Pegasus anymore. Domino itself was more of a home to him than the apartment where he lived; he'd been so relieved to be home, but he'd been afraid to return to their apartment. He wished that he had a real home, a place where he could feel safe, a place he'd be happy to return to at the end of the day. Feeling disheartened, he mentally reached out for Seth, calling his name, but he received no answer. The Millennium Rod wasn't here, then. That made him a bit sadder. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for the rest of the day, but he knew that he wasn't so lucky as to get what he wanted, so he forced his bright blue eyes to open and blink in the bright fluorescent light.

At the same time, another pair of identical blue eyes opened slowly, carefully. Noah blinked, and lifted a stiff arm to rub at his eyes. He stood and stumbled forward, catching himself with one hand on the glass of the window in front of him. He squinted into the colorful sunrise and hated it.

"Oh, Master Kaiba! You're awake!" his nurse, the one who'd been caring for him all this time, exclaimed from somewhere behind him.

"So I am." His voice was indifferent and he didn't bother to turn around. "How long have I been unconscious?"

She answered promptly, telling him the number of days with confident precision. The number was far too high. It angered him. He scowled at the sky as he tried to piece the shards of his mind back together.

"Adina?"

"She's alive and well, sir. A week ago, she was abducted by Mr. Pegasus, but she's been returned unharmed."

He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding in frustration. "Go away. Alert Hobson that I'll be summoning him shortly." He had a lot of catching up to do.

Seto closed his eyes again. He wasn't ready to face the world just yet. He needed a strategy first, a plan of attack, and he needed to know what he was up against. Who had done what while he was asleep, and who needed to be punished for betraying him during his absence?

* * *

When Joey and Mokuba finally arrived at the hospital, Seto was awake and had already done the MRI. He didn't know the results yet, though.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried as soon as he saw his brother and ran to him, the child becoming tearful again.

"Hey," Seto greeted softly, putting an arm around his brother as Mokuba threw himself at the brunette. He seemed peaceful, but that was probably the after effects of the anesthetic. "Don't cry, Mokuba," he said, trying to comfort him as he plucked a tissue from the box on the side table and handed it to his brother so he could dry his eyes. "I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about."

Joey was still standing by the door to the room, just watching the brothers together. In the hospital gown, Seto's arms were bare, revealing a fresh bruise in the shape of a man's grip. Looking at it made Joey flashback to the hours he'd spent in the motel with Seto: seeing his scars for the first time, hearing him gasp with pain, watching him wince when something hurt and he didn't want to say so. Seto'd sometimes been bruised in places that he refused to name, but even then, Joey had seen how just the act of sitting down would hurt him.

As Seto held Mokuba close, he lifted his eyes to Joey's, and he could see how uncomfortable he was with this level of exposure. He kept himself covered for a reason, and he didn't want Mokuba to see something he shouldn't.

"I brought some clothes for you to change into," Joey said, holding up the backpack. Seto's relief was visible and immediate.

"Thanks." He gave Mokuba a pat on the back before releasing him and taking the backpack from Joey, who then distracted Mokuba as Seto turned and ducked into the bathroom.

"You know, Serenity really liked having you over this morning," the blond informed him. "You two should hang out more."

* * *

The Millennium Rod was in the backpack too, and when Seto finished dressing, he clasped it in both hands, then closed his eyes and reached out to the spirit.

He awoke in his spirit room at the edge of the icy pool Seth had pulled him out of the last time they were here. Seth, however, was nowhere in sight. He was at one end of a dark, dank tunnel with stones on all sides. He called Seth's name, but when he received no answer, he started walking forward, searching for the pharaoh. The tunnel got darker and darker, the air increasingly thick with warm, moldy, humid air. He was starting to wonder if he ought to leave when he finally spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. He called for Seth again, his pace quickening. The closer he got, the shadowy light started to reveal paintings on the wall. Two-dimensional art of Egyptian imagery and hieroglyphics that Seto could read for reasons he himself didn't entirely understand. The pictographic text was tightly wrapped around the paintings, and he slowed his pace as he started skimming the words and following the story. He saw images that were achingly familiar.

The paintings were beautiful, the paint colors vivid and bright. But there were gaps, places where nothing was painted at all, but the illegible faint grey smudges there showed that something had once been there. When he finally reached the source of the light, he found Seth kneeling on the floor, his more ceremonial garments absent from his garb. He looked younger, too. When the Egyptian lifted his head to look up at Seto, chestnut hair flopping haphazardly into his wide eyes, the teen felt a pang in his chest: Seth looked no older than Mokuba was now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see the bottle coming." Seth turned back to the wall and dipped his finely-tipped paintbrush into the dish of black ink in his left hand before leaning close to the wall and continuing his task: repainting all of the faded images on the walls.

"It's alright," Seto murmured, his fight with his father the last thing on his mind right now. "What are you doing?"

"I started to forget, so I need to go back." Seth sounded vaguely irritated, as any interrupted child might be, but his explanation didn't make any sense to Seto.

"I don't understand."

Seth huffed in annoyance and paused to look at Seto again. "I started to forget my past and everthing else. I need to rewrite everything that I know so that I don't lose it forever. If I forget everything, then I can't be of any help to anyone, least of all you." He spoke with slow, emphatic frustration, eliciting pity from his other self.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Seto asked, looking at the other small pots of presumably different colored paints, the paintbrushes in the cup by the pots, and the weak lantern on Seth's other side.

"Not now," he answered with a shake of his head. "Just let Joey take you home, take a nap, then you can join me here. I could use some help with the pictures."

Seto nodded, but didn't leave just yet. "How often do you have to do this?"

"Every hundred years or so," Seth answered dismissively as he painted a cartouche in bold black. "Now go take care of yourself. I'll still be here when you're done."

It felt like taking orders from Mokuba, which prompted another question to spill from Seto's lips: "Why are you so much younger now?"

"Because when I go back, I restart, _obviously_ ," he snapped. Seth's eyes narrowed to icy slits as he glared at Seto once again. "Go, Seto. You have more important things to do than ask silly questions when your brother's worried about you."

As brusque as Seth was, Seto couldn't be mad at him. He was just a kid, after all. He was just a kid wearing a simple tunic trying to complete a task without being delayed by an unnecessary obstruction.

"Okay, okay, I'll go." Seto was entranced by this revelation, though, and he would be back quite soon for more answers.

* * *

The process of leaving the hospital went fairly quickly after that. The MRI didn't show any concussion, but the back of his head _was_ bruised (Seto had suspected as much). He wouldn't need to return for any kind of follow-up unless he started experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Earlier, he'd called his supervisor at KaibaCorp to tell him that he'd be in late, but at Joey's insistence, he called back and said that he was taking the day off.

"Don't _you_ have a job?" Seto asked Joey when he got off the phone.

Joey sighed theatrically and said, "Yeah, _technically_. I mean, all I do is shred sensitive papers at a bank. That's literally _all_ I do!" He led Seto and Mokuba out of the hospital and into the attached parking garage to the hospital building.

As they walked to Joey's car, Seto made another call to Ryou, who'd called him that morning a few times without an answer.

"Hi Seto!"

"Hi, Ryou."

"I got a little worried when you didn't drop Mokuba off this morning." Seto still paid Ryou to babysit Mokuba. "I was wondering if something had happened."

"Everything's fine," Seto assured. He didn't want to tell anyone else that he'd been in the hospital, because if he told them, they would want to know why, and he couldn't tell them the truth, so he'd have to tell a lie, and he was so _tired_ of lying to them. He was worried about what all this lying was doing to Mokuba, too. "Mokuba's at work with me today, that's all." It was the best excuse he had on hand.

"Oh, okay, well, I'm glad everything's alright. Oh, and Marik wanted me to ask you if you'd be able to come over on Saturday. I still have to check with Joey, but he said he wanted to educate us about Chuck Norris." Seto started to chuckle. "So I'm planning a movie night for all of us who were at Duelist Kingdom. Little siblings invited, of course."

"Yeah, we'll be there. I look forward to it."

"Okay, cool."

"You should invite Duke too," Seto interjected, sensing that Ryou was about to end the call and hang up. "I think he'd appreciate it."

"That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that."

Duke wasn't exactly a part of their typical friend circle at school, but he was _Seto's_ friend, and he wanted him there. Seto gave Ryou Duke's cell number and hung up just as they reached Joey's car.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I'm going to be awful to you fellow yanks and refer to soccer as "football" from this point forward, because it's only called soccer in America (in my experience) and I _did_ set this story in Japan, after all. Besides, I'm feeling puckish. ;P _**Please review!**_

 **As Season One draws to a close, I would like to remind/inform you that Seasons Two & Three will be posted in a new story, tentatively titled "Rise Up." When I post the last chapter of S1, I will also post the first chapter of S2 so that you can follow that story and stay up to date as soon as you finish reading the last chapter. I will ALSO, at that time, be posting "The Room Where It Happened," which is sort of a prequel to S0: it fills in all the events between the beginning and end of the first chapter, "S0: Prologue," so it will be focused on the hateful and odious Gozaburo Kaiba. -_-**


	44. S1: Think

Joey drove them from the hospital to his house, letting Mokuba and Serenity loose on the backyard with a football while Seto tiredly dragged himself into the living room, trying not to look envious.

"How are you holding up?" Joey asked with a note of pity in his voice.

The car ride had taken more out of Seto than he wanted to admit. "They said the anesthetics could still be in my system for another few hours, and that if I feel the effects, it might be best to sleep them off. I think I'd actually prefer to do that." He sat on the couch which looked much cleaner than their own couch at home had even been in its entire existence.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch, you know. You could sleep in my room. It's _actually_ clean right now." Joey smirked playfully, and Seto hesitated only briefly before accepting the offer. He doubted Mokuba and Serenity would be quiet while they played. Seto took Seth's advice and napped, visiting him in their soul room to help him with his painting.

* * *

Seto's eyes flew open as he was startled into wakefulness. What had woken him, though?

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

That was Joey's voice, and Seto sat up so that he could look at Joey over his shoulder. The blond was standing in the doorway. He'd come in just to see how Seto was doing with no intention of rousing him from the rest he needed.

"I forgot how light a sleeper you are."

"It's fine," the brunette assured, turning and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"How's your head?"

"Fine. A lot better than it was last night."

Joey snorted. "I should hope so. Otherwise, I'd have to take you back to the doctor." Joey's smile dimmed a little. "Will you need help with the hospital bills?"

"Probably." Seto couldn't resist the urge to press his fingers to the wound and feel how the scalp had been altered by the broken glass. He found the stitches and ran his fingertips over the surgical thread. "But if they let me pay them bit by bit over a few months, I should be alright."

"Oh, yeah, here's your wallet." Joey reached into his pocket and pulled it out, tossing it to Seto. "It was on the floor when I got there."

"Thanks." Seto opened it and scowled. "He didn't leave so much as a penny in here, did he?"

There was only one "he" that he could be referring to, and Joey knew that.

"Nope." Joey leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "But he left behind your fake ID."

The brunette narrowed his eyes at his friend. "It's not what you think."

"It's none of my business."

Seto hesitated, then looked back down at the falsified card. "I don't want you to have the wrong idea. I couldn't get a bank account that was solely mine unless I was at least 18, and I've been running out of places to hide my savings because he keeps finding them." He looked back up at Joey. "He's robbed me of thousands of dollars, Jo. If he weren't wasting my money on beer, cocaine, and lottery tickets, Mokuba and I could have moved out long ago."

"Like I said, it's none of my business," Joey repeated, approaching his bed and sitting on the edge beside Seto. "And if anyone asks, I don't know anything about it."

"Thanks." He closed his wallet and tucked it away.

"Does your dad get like that often?"

"He's never come at me with a weapon before, if that's what you're asking." That is, if an empty bottle counted as a weapon.

"If you don't feel safe there," Joey began slowly, aware that he was entering dangerous territory.

"We're fine, Joey."

" _Clearly_ not. I think that you should live here for a little while."

"What?!" Seto stiffened in shock; he'd never expected an offer like that from Joey. His first instinct was to recoil and protest in outrage.

"My parents wouldn't even notice! It would allow you to cut your losses and save up for a while and feel _safe_. Mokuba would be safer too." Joey began to list the benefits, ticking them off on his fingers. "You wouldn't have to keep paying rent on your dad's apartment, you wouldn't have to pay Ryou to babysit, you wouldn't have to buy food because you can share in ours, you won't have to worry about avoiding your dad or hiding your money or leaving Mokuba home alone."

After a pause, Seto replied softly, "That's the most intelligently I've ever heard you speak about anything. I think that bank is rubbing off on you."

"Having smart parents doesn't hurt either," Joey added with an eye-roll. "So, will you do it?"

"That's all contingent on your parents approving our presence in their house."

"Like I said, they're rarely home. They won't even notice. As long as I tell the cleaning lady to expect your presence, they're not gonna know."

"So we'd have to sneak around behind their backs, and who's to say that they won't call the police on us when they _do_ find out?"

" _If_ they do!"

"I _need_ to plan for that possibility, Joey, no matter how unlikely you think it is." They were clearly arguing now, but at least they weren't yelling. Yet. "I can handle the threats I face now, and if you're asking me to trade them for new threats, then I _need_ to assess them before I can make a decision."

"I don't think you _can_ handle them, Seto. Just look at the past twenty-four hours! You were in the _hospital_!"

"I _can_ handle him, Joey," Seto growled, eyes narrowing again. "I've been doing it for years."

"He's getting worse though, isn't he?" Joey asked, then huffed in exasperation, and as he continued, his volume began to increase, approaching the volume of a shout. "What if I hadn't been able to get there in time to help you? What if it was Mokuba who got hurt? What would you do then? What if you had gotten a concussion and weren't able to work anymore? You might have one now, and we just don't know! What if you get one next time?"

"He _is_ getting worse," Seto admitted softly, not even looking at Joey, instead staring at the clean carpeted floor as he tried to process all of this. He was trying to think, trying to make the right decision for both him and his brother. There were inherent dangers either way, but which one was riskier? "Just give me some time to think, okay?"

"What do you need to think about? It seems obvious to me that—"

"Where would we stay?" Seto asked, interrupting him.

"What?"

"If we came to live with you, as you're proposing, where would we stay?"

"In the guest room in the basement. It's more than big enough for both of you. We never have guests over anymore, so it's mostly for show, and the only ones who use the basement are Serenity and I."

"I'll think about it, Joey." Seto sighed and propped his head in his hand, starting to feel his headache return. "I can't give you an answer right now, but I'll think about it."

"Okay." Joey seemed to settle down after that. There was silence for a few moments, then he asked, "When do you want me to take you guys home?"

* * *

Noah Kaiba scowled at his cellphone as his helicopter approached Pegasus' private island. He currently owned 48% of Industrial Illusions stock, and when he took care of Pegasus, he'd easily scoop up enough stock to take ownership of the company as president, though not CEO. He'd still be making money off of the company.

"We will be landing soon, sir, on the south side of the island."

"Has Pegasus been alerted to my arrival?" he asked indifferently.

"ATC says that he wishes to be left alone, sir. As I said earlier, they recommended we turn back."

"Keep flying, then," Noah ordered with a scowl. "I'm not going back to Domino without speaking to him."

They landed twenty minutes later in front of the castle, Noah marching in like a firestorm, eyes ablaze and temper smoldering. When he made it clear to Croquette that he wouldn't leave without speaking to the creator of Duel Monsters, Croquette directed him back outside to the man's pool. That's where he found Pegasus clumsily opening his third bottle of wine.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" the one-eyed artist grumbled, having spotted Noah in his peripheral vision.

"I have business with you." Noah toed one of the empty bottles, kicking it into the pool as his lip curled into a sneer. "You disgust me."

"What business, besides insults, brings you here?" Pegasus muttered as he uncrossed his legs. He was wearing a plush bathrobe over a pair of swim trunks as he sat on a lounge chair by the chlorinated water.

"Duel Monsters." Heartless blue eyes glared at Kaiba's business partner. "As the creator, you would know the most powerful cards in the game, and those are exactly what I need: the most powerful cards in the entire game."

"The five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One are scattered through the world," Pegasus answered automatically, hiccupping to punctuate his statement. He poured himself a glass of the crimson spirit and started sipping it.

"Every serious duelist knows about Exodia, though," Noah growled, stepping closer to hulk over the older man. "There has to be something else."

Noah hesitated, then sat on the edge of the lounge chair, careful not to touch him. Pegasus was morbidly drunk, and Noah could take advantage of that. _In vino veritas_.

"Exodia _is_ the most powerful Duel Monster," Noah said with a manipulative cadence. " _Except_ for…"

"Except for the god cards, of course," Pegasus answered, then froze, realizing he'd made a mistake.

"I knew it," Noah hissed, manic eyes going wide in triumph as he seized Pegasus by the front of his robe with both hands, spilling the man's wine on the plush white material. In the process, his hair was knocked aside, revealing the Millennium Eye to Noah's gaze for the first time.

"Where are the god cards?" Noah demanded, his eyes studying the golden one inset in the other's face. "Tell me, now!"

"I-I left them with her!" Pegasus spluttered, saturated with intoxicated panic.

"With whom?" Noah snarled. "Who did you leave them with?!"

"I left them with a woman," Pegasus answered, swallowing hard. "A woman in Egypt named Ishizu."

* * *

 **Author Notes** : This chapter was originally supposed to be a lot longer, but I kind of just gave up on the random bits that I was throwing in. I looked at the half-written scenes, shrugged, and said, "I don't think you're worth it." So maybe you'll enjoy not having a mile-long webpage to read this time around. Only two more chapters left in the season! :D

And if my drunk Pegasus doesn't sound drunk, that's because I have little to no experience with real drunk people. Sorry. :/

 _ **Please review, because more reviews = more chapters!**_


	45. S1: News

The next day, after dropping Mokuba off at Ryou's house, Seto was back at KaibaCorp, working with his new partner. He brought back the Duel Disk prototypes, which his new partner didn't seem to approve of. He suggested there were too many ways for them to go wrong and that they needed to shrink the technology further. As an engineer, that was his job, though. He started drawing up new plans while Seto tackled a debugging assignment he'd been given in his absence. They wanted him to correct the errors in a code written by another employee. He wasn't told what it was for or what it was supposed to do, which was normal at KaibaCorp because information was highly compartmentalized, just given the code's file location and a document listing all known errors.

On one monitor, he worked on the code, frowning at it as he tried to decipher its purpose and function. On his other monitor was a live stream from the Domino News Network. He liked knowing what was going on in his city and in the world, and after asking his partner if he wanted to listen to and receiving an affirmative answer, he let the volume come through the computer's speakers.

He was in the middle of rewriting nearly an entirely line of code when he heard his colleague ask him to turn the volume up.

"...has passed away. The creator of Duel Monsters was founding in his swimming pool with a blood alcohol level of point one eight," the newscaster said in calm, rapid speech, as they were trained to do. "Police have not yet released a statement concerning the cause of death, but they do suspect foul play. Noah Kaiba, the CEO and president of KaibaCorp, now owns Industrial Illusions, a company he was already in business with. Mr. Pegasus had no family, and has left the majority of his money to be divided among various charitable organizations. In other news, the city council will be voting on a bill tomorrow that, if passed, will institute a new..."

Seto sat for a few moments as he processed the information. Pegasus was dead. He had no grief for the man, but it still concerned him that he'd been murdered. If he'd died of natural causes, like drowning because he was drunk, they would have just come out and said so. And if Pegasus was dead, then where was the Millennium Eye? Would it be buried with him? Would the medical examiner that conducted the autopsy remove it? Would it find it's way into a police evidence locker and just stay there?

 _I suspect that the Millennium Eye has changed hands,_ Seth murmured in the back of Seto's mind as the brunette returned his attention to his work.

 _What makes you so sure?_

 _The Millennium Items tend to find their way into the hands of people who were either destined to have them or who seek to use their power for vile purposes._

 _Should we be worried?_

 _Let_ me _do the worrying, son, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it._

* * *

"I can't wait until Dad comes home," Ryou said with a sigh as he and Marik got into bed late Friday night. "I hope he stops traveling after this trip. I don't like it when he's away for so long."

"I really like your dad," Marik said as he got under the sheets on his side of the bed. "I hope he stays home too." He gathered up his fair hair into a loose low clump at the back of his head and began wrapping a hair elastic around it as Ryou got up to close the door. He returned and flicked off the nightstand lamp.

"The places he goes to are dangerous," Ryou continued softly, settling in bed beside Marik. They were both laying down now and facing each other. "And I'm glad that he was able to save you and your family, but I think the time for those travels is over."

"Hmm." Marik's hand found its way to Ryou's cheek, and the Brit gave a small, contented sigh. They both snuggled nearer to the other, and their faces moved slowly, carefully closer in the darkness. When they first tried to kiss, their lips missed, and Marik laughed softly at the mishap. He stopped laughing, though, when fingers seized his hair at the roots and yanked him down into a kiss rougher than Ryou was capable of. A tight knot of fear formed in the pit of Marik's stomach.

 _Not again..._

Marik was breathless when his partner pulled away and hissed, "You'll cooperate if you know what's good for you."

Of course it was the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, and of course Marik complied with his request for another blowjob, even though the spirit pulled Marik's hair so hard that his scalp ached by the time he was done. Marik knew that the spirit was perfectly willing to make Ryou miserable using subtle, vile tactics that Marik was incapable of fighting no matter what he said or did. He was inside Ryou's mind and had every opportunity to torture his innocent, sensitive soul, but Marik wanted him to remain innocent and happy. He truly believed that ignorance was the price of bliss, at least in this case.

The spirit wasn't content with just a blowjob this time, however. He was painfully hard and close when he yanked Marik off of him by the hair. Maybe it was because the Egyptian showed him such kindness, because he stroked Bakura's thighs and hummed in his throat when he sucked him off and held him close when they'd fallen asleep last time. Whatever the reason, Bakura felt an irrepressible urge to make Marik scream with pain.

"Face-down, now," Bakura ordered harshly, his breathing heavy. Marik understood, and he crawled up the bed so that he was beside Bakura and laying on his stomach. He was already starting to push down his boxers when Bakura grabbed his waistband and yanked them down all the way to his ankles. He situated himself between the boy's legs, palming his cheeks and pulling them apart so he could see his target. Then he made the mistake of looking up at Marik, who was watching him as he looked over his shoulder with those wide lavender eyes so similar to the ones _he'd_ had in a past life. Marik looked at him with pity as if he were anything less than a monster. Marik looked at him as if…

As if he were human.

Bakura pressed up close and used one hand to grab Marik by the hair yet again and shove his face into the pillow before momentarily sucking on his thumb and shoving it in hard enough to make Marik whine. Bakura stretched him with his thumb for only a few seconds, just long enough to create an opening. Then he grabbed Marik by the shoulders and shoved inside him. Marik was screaming into the pillow as Bakura ruthlessly worked his hips against his rear. It didn't take long for him to cum, much to Marik's relief, and when Bakura pulled out, he turned his back on his victim, wrapping the sheets over himself as he lay on his side at the edge of the bed, sinking into sleep mere moments later.

Ryou woke up the next morning in a particularly good mood, entirely blind to last night's incident.

When Mrs. Bakura passed the laundry room later that morning and saw Marik loading their bedsheets into the washing machine, she commented on how helpful he was, and Marik smiled.

* * *

On Saturday, Seto was still contemplating Joey's offer with no firm answer clear in his mind. That day, he received a bill in the mail from the hospital. He opened the envelope and looked at the amount, and his jaw dropped open. He sat down hard on the couch, letting out a sigh as it sank in.

He owed the hospital almost twenty-five hundred dollars.

"Is something wrong, Seto?" Mokuba asked, looking up from where he was sorting his Duel Monsters cards on the floor.

"No, nothing's wrong," Seto answered quickly. He didn't want Mokuba worrying about money, and worked hard to keep it out of his mind. Mokuba wasn't stupid, though. He was aware of many things, but for Seto's sake, he chose not to comment on them.

"Okay." Mokuba went back to his cards, puzzling over the different monsters, spells, and traps, trying to see how he could make them all work together.

Seto stood again and went into their bedroom with the bill in hand. He called the hospital and spoke to a couple of people as they worked on connecting him to right person.

He took a deep breath and said, "I was in the ER a few days ago for a head injury. I got stitches and an MRI. I got the bill in the mail just now. And, while I'm very grateful for your services..." He faltered, then swallowed down his anxiety. It couldn't hurt to try, right? "I'm sorry, but I just don't have the money to pay you. I can show you my pay stubs and receipts if you need proof. I just... I don't have the money. Is there any way you can reduce the cost?" He held his breath as he waited for an answer.

"If that's the case, sir, we can waive your fee," came the answer through the phone, and Seto was struck with shock a second time.

"You _can_?"

"Yes, if you can complete a form for us and submit it to our office, we can process your information and have the bill dismissed. We can fax it, mail it, or email it, whichever is most convenient for you."

"Email would work best," Seto answered. After an exchange of information, he hung up with a strong sense of relief. He hadn't expected that. Yet again, the world surprised him with a generous display of charity that he never would have expected.

* * *

Saturday evening at Ryou's house, everyone was there. Anzu was making the popcorn, claiming that Joey would be sure to burn it; Amane and Mokuba were dueling on the floor while Serenity watched, trying to learn how the game was played; Yugi, Joey, Marik, and Duke were in the kitchen talking with Anzu; Ryou was surrendering his battle with the VCR and passing it off to Seto with the hope that he'd be able to set it up for them. Joey had brought _multiple_ Chuck Norris movies, in both DVD and VHS format, because he couldn't decide which one was the best.

"Did you hear about what happened to Pegasus?"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it."

"Do the police know what happened yet?"

"Their official statement is that he was murdered, but they don't have any viable suspects, which is strange."

"Yeah, I mean, he lives on a private island. You would think that the pool of people who could plausibly be suspects would be fairly limited."

"I still wish that we understood _why_ he did what he did," Yugi said with a sigh, looking troubled. "It doesn't make much sense."

"He was after the Millennium Items, Yugi," Seto interjected as he reached behind the TV to unplug the AV jacks for the DVD player. He hadn't been participating in the conversation, but he'd been paying attention. "And stealing souls made him stronger. He was after power, nothing more."

The answer didn't seem to satisfy Yugi, but the conversation shifted away from Pegasus, so they let the matter drop.

"Thanks for the help," Ryou said quietly, brushing away a few wisps of hair that had fallen down over his eyes. He was kneeling on the floor beside Seto, prepared to help in any way he needed to, even though he wasn't nearly as adept with technology or electronics as Seto was. "Today's been kind of a crazy day."

Seto glanced up at his friend for a moment as he found the AV input with his fingers as he tried to plug them in correctly without being able to see them.

"I thought you seemed stressed. Wanna talk about it?" His query was calm and curious, and Ryou looked almost relieved that he'd asked.

"We saw on the news this morning that political riots broke out in Egypt last night," Ryou confessed. "It's not just riots, though, it's an all-out revolt. There's no way in and out of the country, and even some of the journalists who were there covering the events have gone missing."

"What about your dad?"

"He was supposed to come home this week." Ryou started twisting a strand of hair around his finger. "We haven't heard from him in a couple days, though, and he usually calls my mum every day when he's away. Even if he only has a few minutes to talk, he always calls so that we know he's okay."

"How did she take the news?"

"She cried." Ryou rested his forehead against the outer edge of the dark wood entertainment center. "We all did, really." Ryou's eyes had watered, but since his mother had been weeping and his sister had been sobbing and Marik had been fighting his own tears, Ryou had forced himself not to cry. Someone needed to stay strong, and since his father was gone, that made him the man of the house. "Marik's brother and sister were supposed to come to Japan with my dad, so he was upset too."

"Your dad's a smart guy. I'm sure he'll be fine." Seto didn't sound especially compassionate as he experimentally turned on the VCR. A disgruntled electric whine sounded from the TV and he immediately turned it off, reaching behind the TV once more to adjust the jacks. He must have swapped the audio and video.

"Even so... things are getting really violent over there. Marik and I have been watching the news all day, hoping to hear that it was over." His voice was getting quieter, sadder. "It's still going, though. I think Mum's still watching the news upstairs right now."

"I thought she worked night shifts?"

"She usually does, but she decided to stay home tonight. She got someone to cover for her."

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know." Ryou looked up at Seto then as the brunette turned the VCR back on to see if it was working now. "I don't think any of us will be okay unless he calls." Ryou was aware of the real possibility that some violent fate may befall his father in the politically-turbulent desert country.

" _Until_ he calls, you mean." Seto's correction was gentle, and it took Ryou a moment to realize that he was trying to encourage him: "unless" implied that he might not call because he died while "until" implied that it _would_ happen sooner or later. "I'm sure your dad will call to say that he's okay as soon as he's able to do so."

"I hope you're right."

Seto turned on the TV, and a pair of DNN reporters appeared on screen to announce new footage being released of the conflict in Egypt. The images were disturbingly violent, and Seto could understand Ryou's concerns. He quickly changed the mode on the TV so that a blue screen replaced the evening news. As Ryou stood and moved away to ask Joey which movie they were watching, Seto felt Seth's incorporeal presence at his side, staring at the blue screen with an expression of utter shock. He looked like he was Seto's age, now. He still had many years of memories to reinforce.

"We fought for peace," the ancient spirit murmured softly. "We gave everything we had so that Egypt could have peace. Was it really all for naught?"

To see his homeland so torn with war and distress awoke something in Seth that he hadn't felt before, at least not in relation to his decisions as priest and pharaoh: doubt. Had their actions been futile? Had the selfless sacrifice of his companions, of _Kisara_ , truly accomplished nothing? The very idea of it broke his heart.

Seto didn't know what to say to him. Instead they exchanged a sober look, then Seth turned his gaze back to the screen.

"I'm sure Ryou's father and Marik's siblings are safe," he said, looking only somewhat confident. He knew that at least _one_ of them would find her way to Domino, so he assumed that the other two would be with her when she did. Since Seto was safe and he wasn't presently needed, he retreated back to the dank depths of his soul-room. He had work to do.

The instant that Seth shimmered out of sight, Joey took his place beside Seto on the floor in front of the TV.

"How have you been?" the blond asked quietly as he pulled the VHS tape from its faded card-stock sheath.

"Fine. No concussion, thankfully." Seto's answer was so quiet it was almost inaudible. He couldn't let anyone else know that he'd been to the hospital, because if they knew _that_ he'd gone to the hospital, they would want to know _why_ he'd gone to the hospital and _how_ he'd gotten hurt, which was impossible to do plausibly without telling the truth.

"Have you thought about my offer?" Joey slipped the VHS into the VCR's gaping mouth.

"Yes, but I need more time to think."

"How much longer are you going to think about it?"

"As long as I need to."

* * *

 **Author Notes** : And that's the last chapter of Season One! I thought there was going to be another chapter, but I guess not. Don't be sad, though, because the story is **_far_** from being over! **"The Room Where It Happens"** is the prequel, now posted, and the continuation of the story, including Seasons 2 and 3, can be found in the sequel **"Rise Up."** The final third of this series will (eventually) be posted in a story titled **"Royalty Reborn"** which will contain Seasons 4 and 5.

Here's the link to the prequel: /s/12203438/1/The-Room-Where-It-Happens  
Here's the link to the sequel: /s/12203422/1/Rise-Up


End file.
